For more than forty years, Chicago has called itself a Sanctuary City—but what does that promise really mean?  

Through the stories of Adriana Portillo-Bartow, a Guatemalan mother fleeing military terror in the 1980s; and Elvira Arellano, whose stand inside a Humboldt Park church after 9/11 reignited a national movement; Chicago History Museum curator Rebekah Coffman reflects on three distinct waves of the city’s historic promise. This episode traces how a moral idea became a political battleground, and what it means now that the United States may have entered a new era where even traditional sanctuaries are no longer safe.

Episode Resources:
Chicago Cold War: Adriana Portillo-Bartow—Peter Alter, Chicago History Museum 

https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/chm_oh/id/333/

Elvira Arellano—Elena Gonzales & Rebekah Coffman, Chicago History Museum  

https://soundcloud.com/chicagomuseum/elvira-arellano-aqui-en-chicago

Jacobita Cortes on providing Sanctuary for Elvira—Elena Gonzales & Rebekah Coffman, Chicago History Museum

https://soundcloud.com/chicagomuseum/interview-with-jacobita-cortes-aqui-en-chicago

The Sanctuary Movement in Chicago—Megha Khemka

https://www.chicagohistory.org/sanctuary-in-chicago/

Adriana’s testimony in the trial of former Guatemalan military officers—International Justice Monitor 

https://www.ijmonitor.org/2018/03/military-expert-senior-military-officials-are-responsible-for-the-crimes-against-emma-and-marco-antonio-molina-theissen/

Visit Aquí en Chicago! Now through November 8, 2026

https://www.chicagohistory.org/exhibition/aqui-en-chicago/

¡Visita a Aquí en Chicago! Ahora hasta el 8 noviembre 2026

https://www.chicagohistory.org/exhibition/aqui-en-chicago-es/

When students from a South Side high school confronted the Chicago History Museum over its lack of Latino/a/e representation, they set off a chain of events that led to a historic new exhibition—and a reckoning with the past.

This episode also traces the life and legacy of Rudy Lozano, the activist whose name the students carried, and legendary folk artist Jesus 'Chuy' Negrete, whose corridos have preserved history and honored the lives of countless Latine Chicagoans. But a lyric in one of Chuy's corridos hinted at a chasm-sized divergence between a communities experience and the "official narrative."

Episode Resources:

Sounds of Resistance: Corridos in Chicago — Algea Guzman, Chicago History Museum 

"Who Killed Rudy Lozano?" — Gary Rivlin, Chicago Reader

Remembering Treasured Chicago Folk Singer Jesus 'Chuy' Negrete — Linda Lutton, WBEZ

Reserve your free tickets to the opening of Aquí en Chicago (10/25 ) here!

Haga sus reservaciones gratis para la inauguración de Aquí en Chicago (10/25)!

When students at a predominantly Latino/a/e alternative high school in Chicago (Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy) realized that Chicago’s major history museum had no information about the Latino/a/e third of the city in its permanent exhibition, they took a stand—and made history. Building Aquí is a 4-part podcast that follows the students’ protest, the exhibition it inspired, and the long, rich legacy of Latine resistance, migration, and culture in the city. Told through music, oral history, and the sounds of Chicago, the series features the work of legendary Chicano folklorist Chuy Negrete and the voices of curators, activists, and community members working to expand the archive.

From the Puerto Rican Young Lords’ transformation from street gang to political force fighting “urban renewal” and displacement in Lincoln Park, to Mexican American students pushing for bilingual education, and beyond—this podcast explores the profound ways Latino/a/e Chicagoans have shaped the city and why this important history is still missing from many institutions that should be preserving it.