>>> GOOD EVENING TO CHICAGO TONIGHT, LATINO VOICES.

I'M THE HOST AND REPORTED WITH WTTW CHICAGO, ON THE SHOW TONIGHT, A LOCAL ORGANIZATION IS LOOKING TO HELP VETERANS WHO HAVE BEEN DEPORTED.

>>> AND SERVICE IS BACK IN CHICAGO THIS SUMMER, THE FOCUS OF AN ART SHOW MAKING A RARE VISIT FROM THE ISLAND.

>> THEY SHOWED ME THAT YES, THERE'S POSSIBLY THINGS OUT THERE.

>> AND HOW HE USES HIS MENTORSHIP TO SAVE LIVES.>>> FIRST TONIGHT, HELPING MILITARY VETERANS THAT HAVE BEEN DEPORTED, THAT IS RIGHT AFTER THIS.

>> CHICAGO TONIGHT, LATINO VOICES.

>>> SERVICE AND THE U.S. MILITARY CAN BE A ROUTE FOR PEOPLE HOPING TO GET CITIZENSHIP BUT IT IS NOT A GUARANTEE.

SOME VETERANS ARE SUBJECT TO DEPORTATION FOR CRIMES COMMITTED AFTER THEIR MILITARY SERVICE EVEN IF THEY ARE MINOR AND NONVIOLENT.

REPORTS INDICATE THAT AT LEAST HUNDREDS OF VETERANS HAVE BEEN DEPORTED, AND NO FULL ACCOUNTING HAS EVER BEEN DONE.

JOINING US IS THE FOUNDER AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF GREEN CARD VETERANS.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I'M WONDERING, HOW DID YOU START WITH GREEN CARDS FOR VETERANS?

>> WELL, IN 2017, I HAD A GROUP OF VETERANS WHO MET UNDER PEER MENTORING PROGRAM, WE DECIDED THAT THE STORY OF A VETERAN, WHO IS BEING DEPORTED FROM CHICAGO WAS AN INJUSTICE THAT NEEDED A VETERAN PERSPECTIVE TO HELP ADDRESS THAT ISSUE.

AT THE TIME, WE WEREN'T SURE OF THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT WE KNEW THAT IT WAS HAPPENING HERE.

SO, WE MOBILIZED, REORGANIZED, AND WE STARTED FIGHTING THIS NATIONAL FIGHT HERE IN CHICAGO.

IT WAS AND IS A GROUP OF VETERANS AND VETERAN FAMILY MEMBERS WHO VOLUNTEER UNDER THE GREEN CARD VETERANS UMBRELLA TO ADDRESS NOT JUST THE DEPORTATION OF VETERANS AS A WHOLE, BUT ALL THE DIFFERENT PHENOMENON THAT LEAD TO THAT OUTCOME.

>> AND I'M SURE PEOPLE ARE WONDERING, HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

THIS WAS BACK IN 2017.

WHAT KIND OF CRIMES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT WHEN VETERANS GET DEPORTED, WHAT HAPPENS IN THOSE SITUATIONS?

>> SO, IT IS A WIDE RANGE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT HAS TO BE AN AGGRAVATED FELONY THAT IS NOT REPORTED IS AN AGGRAVATED FELONY ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION SYSTEM.

SO, THERE CAN BE CHECK FRAUD, DUI, IT CAN BE ASSAULT, BATTERY FROM A BAR FIGHT.

THE RANGE OF CRIMES IS PRETTY WIDE.

NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I BELIEVE IS WHY IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH ONE POLICY, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF NUANCES WITHIN THIS.

>> I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF STATE LAWS THAT GO INTO EFFECT AND THINGS ARE TREATED OVERLY BASED ON WHERE YOU ARE.

>> CORRECT, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT A LOT OF VETERANS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME BACK, BECAUSE OF CHANGES IN STATE LAWS, FOR INSTANCE, A CRIME THAT WAS A FELONY 20 YEARS AGO MIGHT HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO A MISDEMEANOR AND BECAUSE IT IS NOW A MISDEMEANOR, IT IS NO LONGER RECOGNIZED AS AN AGGRAVATED FELONY, VETERANS CAN GO THROUGH DIFFERENT PROCESSES WITHOUT THE AGGRAVATED FELONY ON THEIR RECORDS.

>> WHEN PEOPLE SAY DEPORTED VETERAN, I THINK THAT CONFUSES A LOT OF PEOPLE.

IS THIS AN ISSUE THAT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE AND HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS TO PEOPLE?

>> IT IS NOT VERY COMMON KNOWLEDGE, EVEN AMONGST MILITARY MEMBERS.

THERE IS, I GUESS, MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE SERVING SIMILAR ROLES, THAT THEY ARE U.S. CITIZENS OR GRANTED U.S.

CITIZENSHIP UPON ENTERING WHICH IS DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE.

WHEN A SERVICE MEMBER FOR INSTANCE APPLIES FOR U.S.

CITIZENSHIP, THEY DO GET TO THE HEAD OF THE LINE BUT IT IS STILL AN APPLICATION PROCESS THAT OFTEN DOES GET DENIED.

THERE WAS A STUDY WITHIN THE LAST 5 YEARS THAT SHOULD MILITARY MEMBERS ARE ACTUALLY DENIED CITIZENSHIP AT HIGHER RATES THAN NONMILITARY MEMBERS WHICH DOES NOT MAKE SENSE, YET IT IS HAPPENING.

>> DO YOU GET THE SENSE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THIS GOING INTO THE MILITARY?

IS THIS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN INFORMED TO THEM?

>> I WOULDN'T SAY THAT IT IS.

MORE RECENTLY, THERE ARE EFFORTS NATIONALLY TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE DWINDLING RECRUITMENT NUMBERS BY ALLOWING DACA RECIPIENTS FOR ENTERING THE MILITARY, BUT I CANNOT SAY THAT MANY OF THOSE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN UNDERSTAND THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN TO THEM.

>> CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN VETERANS GET DEPORTED?

WHAT ARE THEIR EXPERIENCES LIKE?

>> TYPICALLY A VETERAN IS DEPORTED AFTER HAVING SERVED TIME IN PRISON FOR AN AGGRAVATED FELONY.

SO, THEY ARE NOT RELEASED BACK INTO THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.

THEY ARE PUT ON AN AIRPLANE OR BUS AND GO THROUGH THEIR DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN USUALLY GOES THROUGH.

SO THEY GET TO EXPERIENCE THAT RETURN HOME TO A FOREIGN LAND, SO THEY OFTEN TIMES ARE LEFT WITHOUT ANY MONEY, ANY RESOURCES, ANY NETWORKS, ANY TYPE OF SERVICES THAT WOULD HELP THEM TO REINTEGRATE INTO ANY COMMUNITY MUCH LESS A COMMUNITY THAT IS TYPICALLY IN A PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE NO CONNECTION TO.

>> THAT IS HARD.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT COMES TO BRINGING THE VETERANS BACK?

WHAT IS THE ORGANIZATION DOING?

>> WHAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IS LOCAL EFFORTS.

WE ARE A PART OF A COALITION IN CHICAGO OF IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, AND WE ARE ABLE TO PLAY OUR PART, GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE VETERAN CLEMENCY WHICH HELPED THEM TO NAVIGATE THE FEDERAL PROCESS.

IN NEW MEXICO AND CALIFORNIA, AND ARIZONA, A LOT OF THOSE EFFORTS CONTINUE THEIR.

WHY?

BECAUSE AS YOU SAID BEFORE, IT IS A LOT OF LOCAL LAWS THAT REALLY DICTATE WHAT AN AGGRAVATED FELONY IS.

SO, BECAUSE THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY TYPE OF UMBRELLA POLICY THAT WILL HELP THESE MEN AND WOMEN, THEY HAVE TO RELY ON LOCAL EFFORTS.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.

>>> A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM MIGHT NOT APPRECIATE HOW MUCH THEIR MENTORS HAVE HELPED KEEP THEM ON A SUCCESSFUL PATH, BUT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CHICAGO EXPECT THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE CRITICAL TO SHAPING PRODUCTIVE FUTURES FOR CHILDREN IN CHICAGO.

HERE, HOW HE SAYS MENTORSHIP CHANGED HIS LIFE TRAJECTORY AND HOW MENTORS ARE STILL CHANGING LIVES TODAY.

>> I'M THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR THE UNION LEAGUE.

>> I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 37 YEARS.

WE STARTED IN 1981, I WAS JUST ONE PERSON THAT GREW UP HERE, AND NOW I OVERSEE 21 LOCATIONS WITH OVER 15,000 KIDS.

GROWING UP, MY DAD PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS 5 YEARS YOUNG, SO I WAS MISSING THAT FATHER FIGURE.

AND COMING TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, THEY SEE ME AND TOOK ME UNDER THEIR WINGS, FEELING THAT WARM WELCOME, THEY REALLY WANTED YOU TO SUCCEED.

THEY WANT YOU TO BE A PART OF THEIR FAMILY.

SO, I'M JUST PAYING IT FORWARD NOW.

A LOT OF OUR PARENTS KEPT MORE THAN ONE JOB, SO A LOT OF THE TIMES THEY HAVE BEEN HOME ALONE OR THEY DID NOT HAVE AN ADULT.

SO, HAVING THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB WHERE YOU CAN BE A MENTOR AND HAVE THEIR PARENTS DO ACTIVITIES WHILE THEY ARE AT WORK, IT IS ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE ALL THE KIDS SMILING FACES AND WALKING THROUGH OUR DOORS AND COMING INSIDE THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, GREETING THEM, MANY OF THEM DON'T FEEL SAFE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES BUT THEY FIND THAT SENSE OF BELONGING AND THEY FEEL SAFE WITHIN THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB'S.

WHAT WE NEED IS TO CONTINUE SPREADING THE WORD THAT WE ARE PRODUCING HOPE.

I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO HOPE FOR ME AND EVENTUALLY I WAS GOING TO BE JUST A STATISTIC BUT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB SHOWED ME IT IS DIFFERENT.

THEY SHOWED ME I AM VALUABLE.

EVERYBODY THAT WE TALK TO, EVERYBODY SAYS WE HAVE CHANGED THEIR LIVES.

>> THE SCHOOL YEAR IS COMING TO AN END BUT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CHICAGO DO HAVE SUMMER PROGRAMMING STILL AVAILABLE, YOU WILL FIND MORE ON OUR WEBSITE.

BACK WITH CHICAGO TONIGHT, LATINO VOICES, RIGHT AFTER THIS.

>>> AN EFFORT TO EASE CONGESTION ON I-55 IS LEADING TO PUSHBACK FROM ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, A PROPOSED BILL WOULD IT HAD EXPRESS TOLL LANES, BUT CRITICS SAY THAT THE EXPANSION PROJECT WOULD HARM COMMUNITIES ALREADY BURDENED WITH EMISSIONS FROM TRUCKS AND CARS.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE INFORMATION, THE SENIOR TRANSPORTATION POLICY ANALYST AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION.

CLIMATE POLICY DIRECTOR AT THE ILLINOIS COUNCIL, AND THE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF URBAN PLANNING AND PATHOLOGY AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SHOULD UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

>> THE I-55 CORRIDOR IS ALREADY ONE OF THE DIRTIEST CORRIDORS EVOLUTION WISE IN THE COUNTRY, AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE NOT ONLY THE CURRENT VEHICLE TRAFFIC BUT THE SURROUNDING FACILITY THAT ATTRACT THE TRAFFIC.

SO, I-55 IS HEAVILY CONCENTRATED WITH WAREHOUSES, MOTOR RAILYARD FACILITIES, OTHER DISTANT VISION CENTERS, OTHER TIMES, THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRUCK TRAFFIC.

THIS IS ALREADY AN AREA THAT DEALS WITH POLLUTION AND THIS WOULD ONLY MAKE THAT ISSUE MUCH WORSE.

>> SO TRUE, SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS PLAN WOULD DO TO ADDRESS THE CONGESTION.

>> SO, FOR MANY DECADES, WE HAD SOMETHING CALLED INDUCED DEMAND, IT SOUNDS TECHNICAL BUT THE IDEA IS STRAIGHTFORWARD, YOU BUILD MORE CAPACITY, YOU ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO DRIVE.

BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO DRIVE, YOU END UP BACK WHERE YOU STARTED WITH CONGESTED ROADWAYS.

SO, TECHNICAL MODELS SHOW A LITTLE INCREASE, BUT ALTERNATIVE NEW MODELS SHOW THAT IF WE BUILD THIS, WE WILL SEE MASSIVE INCREASES IN DRIVING AND THAT WILL FURTHER OUR DEPENDENCY AND POLLUTING FACTORS.

>> INTERESTING.

CAN YOU GIVE US CONTEXT AROUND THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT THE COMMUNITIES ARE FACING?

>> YES.

SO, I WOULD SAY WE HAVE AN OVERSATURATION OF CARS AND VEHICLES IN THE AREA, THEY ARE PRODUCING POLLUTANTS LIKE PARTICLE MATTER, AND SPECIFICALLY WITH THE HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES THAT ARE CONSISTENTLY DRIVING THROUGH THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THROUGH THE I-55 CORRIDOR.

I THINK JOSI CAN TALK AT LENGTH ABOUT THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS THAT THEY SEE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

>> WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM PEOPLE WITH REGARDS TO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES?

>> TRUCK TRAFFICKING IS A MAJOR ISSUE FOR PEOPLE NOT ONLY IN THE VILLAGE BUT THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHWEST SIDE, AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE SUCH A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF THESE FACILITIES THAT ATTRACT SO MANY TRUCKS ON A DAILY BASIS, THAT LEADS TO MANY DIFFERENT NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES LIKE ASTHMA, CARDIOVASCULAR ISSUES, PREMATU WHICH I WAS TRYING TO READ UP ON BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON.

>> SO, ONE OF THE CONCERNS IS THAT THERE IS COMPLEMENTARY, WELL I HATE TO CALL THEM COMPLEMENT HER, BUT TWO PIECES OF LEGISLATION RELATED TO THIS, TO AUTHORIZE THIS TO BE A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND ONE WOULD REALLY LOOSEN THE OVERSIGHT THEY HAVE ON THAT PUBLIC-PRIVATE OWNERSHIP.

IT WOULD TAKE OUT THE PLANNING AGENCIES FROM THE PROCESS.

AND WHAT WE SEE, WHEN PUBLIC- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS HAPPEN, SOMETIMES THEY GET A BAD DEAL, AS WITH PARKING METER PRIVATIZATION DEAL, THAT WAS RUSHED THROUGH.

IT HAS BEEN GREAT FOR THE PRIVATE FIRM, THEY MADE A LOT OF REVENUE.

IT HAS BEEN BAD FOR CHICAGO.

>> I'M TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THAT, BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DO UNDERSTAND THE METERED PARKING SITUATION AND THEY CAN RELATE BACK TO THIS.

MANY OF THE COMMUNITIES RESIDE ALONG I-55, WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO THINK ABOUT WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN?

>> I THINK FOR THEM, IT'S HOW THEY USE THEIR VOICE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE RAISING AWARENESS.

I THINK THE LATINO COMMUNITY IS STARTING TO BECOME VERY VOCAL, WHERE THEY ARE BECOMING THE LARGEST MINORITY IN THE STATE.

AND A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE YOUNGER, UNDER 18, THEY HAVE A LOT TO SAY AND THEY SHOULD BE SPEAKING UP AND TELLING THEIR LEGISLATURES, THIS IS A BETTER LIVELIHOOD.

THIS IS ABOUT OUR FUTURE RIGHT NOW.

A LOT OF FOLKS ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF LATINOS COMING TO THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THERE IS CLIMATE CATASTROPHES HAPPENING IN THEIR COUNTRIES.

WHAT DO THEY SEE WHEN THEY COME TO A NEW COUNTRY?

THEY GET ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS IN THEIR NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.

SO I ENCOURAGE ALL YOUNG LATINOS TO GET OUT THERE AND TALK TO THEIR LEGISLATURES, GO ON THE STREETS AND LET THEM KNOW THIS IS NOT RIGHT AND WE NEED DECISIONS TO BE MADE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

>> JOSI, ARE YOU SEEING ANY OF THESE GRASSROOTS OR PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO USE THEIR VOICES?

>> YES, YOU HAVE SEEN ALL OF THE STATE REPRESENTATIVES ALONG THE I-55 CORRIDOR, PARTICULARLY THOSE REPRESENTING THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CITY, THEY ARE AGAINST THE PROJECT, BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE US AND SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS IN CHICAGO HAVE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES.

BUT COLLECTIVELY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AND THE ISSUE OF TRUCKING AND THIS OVERSIGHT TO ERASING THE FACILITIES HAS BEEN A MAJOR TALKING POINT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT, WHEN WE HAVE TOO MANY TRUCKS IN THE CITY, IT IS OVER CONCENTRATED, THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR ALL OF US.

>> AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE DONE WITH THIS EXPANSION?

WHAT IS YOUR PROPOSAL?

>> WITH THE EXPANSION, IF WE ARE TRYING TO REDUCE CONGESTION, THE ONLY ANSWER IS TO INVEST IN PUBLIC TRANSIT.

THIS MEETING WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED, THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE WAS TO FUNCTION OR SERVE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC TRANSIT, AND TO PUT A TRAIN DOWN THE MIDDLE.

WE HAVE A DECENT PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM BUT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH.

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE CITY IS INVEST IN PUBLIC BUS TRANSIT, WHICH IS A MAJOR COMPONENT IN THIS GROUP RIGHT HERE.

BUT, I THINK IT REALLY PRESENTS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY TO NOT ONLY CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO USE PUBLIC TRANSIT TO PUT CHICAGO ON THE MAP AS THE LEADER OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE WORLD.

>> YOU ARE NODDING YOUR HEAD A LOT, WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN IT COMES TO PRIORITIZING EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY AS WE CREATE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE?

>> I THINK THAT CAN BE A TOP PRIORITY.

THERE IS A FEDERAL PROGRAM CALLED RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES TO UNDO THE HARM THAT HAS BEEN DONE BY BUILDING HIGHWAYS, PREDOMINANTLY THROUGH BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES.

THAT IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET WHEN STATE DEPARTMENTS ARE CONTINUING TO DO HARM THROUGH EXPANDING THE HIGHWAYS.

>> ANY LAST THOUGHTS ON THAT?

>> YES, I THINK THE FUNDING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DIRECTED TO THE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS AND GREENHOUSE GASES.

NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO INVITE PUBLIC TRANSIT BUT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING TO INVEST IN CLEAN TRUCKS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER TRANSPORTATION IS COMING IN THE FUTURE, THEY ARE CLEANER IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.

SO ONCE AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO REACH OUT TO THEIR SENATORS AND LEGISLATURES AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WE NEED ALL DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION.

>> THANK YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING US.

UP NEXT, UNDER THE BIG TOP OF CIRCUS VASQUEZ.

>> IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOME MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS, THE FAMILY- RUN TRAVELING CIRCUS VASQUEZ IS STARTING UP, AND THEY HAVE MADE THE CHICAGO AREA ONE OF THE BEST FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.

FOR MOST OF ITS HISTORY, IT HAS BEEN A SPANISH-LANGUAGE CIRCUS THAT THE PANDEMIC PROMPTED THEM TO MAKE A CHANGE.

ERIKA GUNDERSON GOT A PREVIEW.

>> CIRCUS VASQUEZ IS A TRADITIONAL SHOW, WHEN YOU SEE OUR TENT, IT IS THE BIGGEST IN THE STATES.

WE HAVE LIVE PERFORMANCES, ALSO WITH A LIVE ORCHESTRA WHICH WE ARE REALLY PROUD TO HAVE BECAUSE IT GOES WITH THE ACTS AND LIVE MUSIC.

WE HAVE PERFORMERS FROM CHILE, FROM NEW MEXICO, FROM UKRAINE, WE ARE KNOWN TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY FOR 20 YEARS.

BUT AFTER THE PANDEMIC, A LOT OF SHOWS CLOSED, SO WE WERE GETTING AUDIENCES FROM ALL OVER.

AND WE DECIDED, THANK GOD, TO DO THE SHOW ONLY IN ENGLISH, I AM A THIRD GENERATION OF THE CIRCUS IN OUR FAMILY, BUT ACTUALLY FOUR GENERATIONS NOW.

MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER BOTH CAME FROM A CIRCUS FAMILY, THEY STARTED IN 1969 OVER THERE, WITH A VERY SMALL CIRCUS AND WE STARTED TO GROW AND NOW WE ARE HERE.

AND WE ARE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

IT'S VERY EXCITING FOR THE CIRCUS PEOPLE TO GO IN THE RING, ONCE YOU GET INTO THE RING YOU FEEL ALL OF THE CIRCUS MAGIC, YOU KNOW?

THE CIRCUS IS FOR CHILDREN FROM 1-YEAR-OLD UP TO 100 YEARS OLD.

AND IT'S ALSO FOR THE ADULTS, THE CIRCUS HAS NO BORDERS AND NO LANGUAGE, AND IT IS A VERY NICE THING.

>> CIRCUS VASQUEZ RUNS THROUGH MAY 29 AND YOU WILL FIND MORE ON HOW TO BUY TICKETS ON OUR WEBSITE.

JUST WEEKS BEFORE HURRICANE FIONA HIT PUERTO RICO LAST YEAR, A COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS ARRIVED IN CHICAGO FROM THE ISLAND.

THEY ARE FROM AN ART MUSEUM FROM THE SOUTHERN COAST.

NOW CHICAGO'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PUERTO RICAN ART AND CULTURE IS BECOMING HOME TO A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT EXHIBIT.

MARK VITALI VISITED THE MUSEUM IN HUMBOLDT PARK.

>> THIS COLLECTION COMES FROM THE MUSEUM OF ART, IT'S REALLY THE FIRST MUSEUM TO OPEN UP IN THE CARIBBEAN AND THE FIRST ONE TO GET ACCREDITED BACK IN 1959.

>> MUCH OF THE MUSEUM REMAINS CLOSED FOLLOWING AN EARTHQUAKE IN 2020.

>> WE HAVE THE BIGGEST COLLECTION IN THE CARIBBEAN, THEY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT, THEY WANTED TO STAY RELEVANT, THEY WANTED TO REACH OUT.

THEY REACHED OUT TO US AND I SAID I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE AN ART COLLECTION AND AN ART EXHIBIT MADE UP OF PUERTO RICAN ARTIST.

>> IT DATES BACK AS FAR AS THE 1700S INCLUDING PAINTINGS CREATED BY THE PUERTO RICO COLONIAL ERA, MOST FOCUS ON THE LANDSCAPE AND THE PEOPLE OF THE ISLAND.

>> NOT ONLY WILL YOU FEEL NOSTALGIC, BUT IT'LL HAVE YOU DREAMING AND THINKING OF DIFFERENT SORTS OF THINGS, WITH THE EXHIBITS FROM MY PEOPLE, MY ISLAND, MY HOME.

THESE PEOPLE HAVE NEVER LEFT THE ISLAND.

WE AS PUERTO RICANS, WE SEE THEM IN BOOKS, WE MAY HAVE SEEN PICTURES OF THEM BUT WE HAVE NEVER REALLY SEEN THEM IN PERSON.

SO, FOR US TO HAVE THIS COLLECTION HERE IS JUST A REMARKABLE THING.

>> OF THE MUSEUM IN HUMBOLDT PARK UPGRADED THE GALLERY TO SECURE AND PROTECT THESE RARE WORKS, MOST OF WHICH WERE PAINTED IN OIL.

WE MET A VOLUNTEER WHO WAS ALSO AN ARTIST.

>> IT IS REALLY EMOTIONAL, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAVE THIS IN CHICAGO AND IN THE U.S.

I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE SUPER PROUD TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT.

A LOT OF PEOPLE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE MUSEUM , AND TO BE ABLE TO SEE THIS WORK HERE, THEY WILL BE OVERWHELMED.

BUT IT'LL BE GREAT.

YOU WILL SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT EVERY TIME.

>> SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT OUT OF PUERTO RICO BEFORE THE HURRICANE, MOST OF THE CATALOGS OF THE EXHIBITION REMAIN ON THE ISLAND.

>> WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY IS THE HISTORY BEHIND THE PUERTO RICAN PEOPLE.

YES, WE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS BUT WE SHOULD ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT WHO WE ARE.

THEY ARE SPANIARD, AFRICAN, AND THIS EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHO WE ARE AS PUERTO RICANS.

>> FOR CHICAGO TONIGHT, LATINO VOICES, THIS IS MARK VITALI.

>> THE EXHIBITION IS CALLED NOSTALGIA FOR MY ISLAND, IT IS AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PUERTO RICAN ART AND CULTURE AT HUMBOLDT PARK THROUGH JUNE 9.

THAT IS OUR SHOW FOR TONIGHT, DON'T FORGET YOU CAN SHOW ME ON THE WEEKEND EDITION ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, AS WELL AS MY REPORTING DURING THE WEEK .

AND NOW FROM ALL OF US HERE AT CHICAGO TONIGHT, LATINO VOICES, GOOD NIGHT.

>> CLOSED CAPTIONING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY ROBERT A CLIFFORD,