Using Murals to Celebrate Life in Cicero

Image description: A line of 12 people stand on a diagonal, all a variety of heights and ages. Behind them is a gray concrete wall of a wheat paste mural of different photos and illustrations created by high school students.

Students of J. Sterling Morton High School District 201who participated in a four-week program in partnership with Northeastern Illinois University stand with their instructors At a mural of their artwork outside of El Torito grocery store in Cicero, Ill on September 16th, 2020. The mural is called Galleria del barrio (Photo courtesy of Jasmine Rubalcava).

By Jesus J. Montero

On a breezy September afternoon and with La Chona blasting in the background, students and their instructors carefully curated la Galleria del Barrio, a display of 45 photographs and illustrations outside of El Torito on 16th Avenue.

As one of the most recent murals to be displayed in Cicero, the images showcased the students' resilience and life as they navigated the pandemic and the movement for racial justice. Now friends of Victor Cazares Jr., who was shot and killed this summer during the civil unrest, want to create another mural in Cicero to celebrate his life.

"The theme of this is about being together [addressing] racism because we want equality for everyone," said Danna Sanchez back in September. She is one of the students whose photograph was displayed on the mural. "There's also the street vendors...it is showing the community that we are hardworking people and everyone should be treated equally."

The mural, titled Galleria del Barrio, was created as part of a four-week collaborative program between Northeastern Illinois University 21st Century Community Learning Centers in partnership with J. Sterling Morton High School District 201.

"This program helped out because some people have anxiety and depression because you can't do anything really," explained Suni Zuniga, another student participant. "It helped us cope [with the pandemic]."

Photo by Suni Zuniga

"This picture is of my dad, and it represents the people that go to work no matter what to give a better life for their families. Sometimes I don't see him, but I know that he's working to give us a better future. That's why they came here, to help us grow."

Foto por Danna Sanchez

“The theme of this is about being together [addressing] racism because we want equality for everyone.”

Illustration by Adriana Perez

I did this because that's how I think it is right now. We're coming together to deliver this message now that we see with the whole protests.

Everything's just falling apart. It's not getting that much better (June 1) was unexpected for that to happen. I guess you could say it inspired me.

Photo by Jaime Perez

“I wanted to be kind of different. I have a passion for cars. At a young age, I enjoyed watching and looking at cars.”

Illustration by Johnairys Rodriguez

Photo by America Sandoval

Photo by Natalie Flores

Illustration by Laura Morales

Located at Don Pedro Carnitas in Pilsen, Mateo Zapata(L) pictured alongside his partner on the mural Pablo Serrano (R). The mural titled "Somos Pilsen" highlights forty-six community members from Pilsen (Photo by Jesus J. Montero).

Photojournalist Mateo Zapata was the instructor of the program. He wanted to connect with the Latinx youth in Cicero and use photography as a tool of expression during COVID and the awareness of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Zapata's work has received national praise highlighting the essential Latino workers during the pandemic's height in Pilsen.

"The initial concept was to print out a calendar, but I felt like that wouldn't do their work, their imagination, their ability to learn and excel so well, any justice," Zapata explained. "I wanted them to understand that what they put together was remarkable," he added.

Zapata reached out to El Torito's owner to display the students' work. Although most of the mural from last fall is now gone, Zapata and others believe we should support efforts to create more murals.

"Claiming space provides positive reflections of our communities. Positive representations of our own community are important when your community is constantly demonized, vilified, and dehumanized," said Zapata.

It is in that vein that friends of Victor Cazares Jr. want to create a mural in his memory.

Victor’s friends and family gather where he was shot  across the street from his apartment. Victor would have turned 28. The mural for Victor will begin Saturday, March 20th, 2021. Photo courtesy of Victor’s family. — Victor’s friends and family gather where he was shot across the street from his apartment. Victor would have turned 28. The mural for Victor will begin Saturday, March 20th, 2021. Photo courtesy of Victor’s family.

"They know how great of a person he was. What he was willing to do for his community, not just sit back and watch everything happen, but he dared to go out and help. That's how his friends want to remember him," says Adriana Cazares, Victor’s sister.

The Super Espiga owner where Victor was shot and killed has agreed to let the group use the wall outside his grocery store to memorialize Victor's life. After submitting detailed letters to The Town of Cicero, the board approved the painting of the mural but due to permit requirements, the start of the mural has been delayed.

Cazares admires and appreciates the support she's received from Victor's friends for the mural. She also wants community members to reach out with information that may lead to those responsible for Victor's shooting.

“To have a brother like Victor, I'm honored he was such a great person. We are so grateful to him for being the great spirit person that he was to our family. It [the mural] validates the way we feel,” Cazares on the validation she feels with a mural honoring Victor’s life.

Jesus J. Montero is a contributing reporter at Cicero Independiente and a freelance multimedia journalist.