The Missing Exhibition: Building Aquí

The Chicago History Museum
  • 5.0 (7)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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 religious institutions that offered shelter to undocumented people in defiance of federal law, 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. Produced by Rivet360’s Jesse Betend in partnership with the Chicago History Museum.

Episodes

  1. Battle Queens

    1D AGO

    Battle Queens

    When Reyna Ortiz decided to change her name, she discovered she would need to change society first. Like many trans people, Reyna’s chosen name didn’t match what was printed on her driver’s license—a name no one had called her since adolescence. Unless the law was changed, it seemed a part of Reyna would always be stuck in “the past.” For decades, an Illinois statute barred people with felony convictions from legally changing their names. That might not have been the law’s intent, but in practice it trapped thousands of transgender people in identities that no longer reflected who they were. It meant carrying identification that could expose them to harassment, discrimination, and even violence. So Reyna took the Cook County State’s Attorney to court. In the final episode of Building Aquí, we follow Reyna Ortiz’s quest to change not just her name, but the state law that prevented her from doing so. Along the way, we meet fellow “Battle Queen” Tania Còrdova—an immigrant and trans activist who helped push lawmakers to confront the issue, even engaging skeptical and often openly transphobic voters in rural parts of Illinois. Their fight would stretch from the courtroom to the statehouse, revealing something deeper about the way change actually happens: slowly, unevenly, and often only after the people most affected refuse to give up. It’s a story about the unintended consequences of incomplete laws, the persistence required to move a system that feels immovable—and the power of people determined to claim something as simple, and as fundamental, as their own name. Episode Resources: Max Lubbers' interview with Eisha Love https://www.injusticewatch.org/criminal-courts/reentry/2022/illinois-name-change-laws-impact-transgender-people/ Ortiz v Foxxhttps://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/ortiz-v-foxx/ Watch for the upcoming documentary film "What's In A Name" https://www.carycronenwett.com/whatsinaname 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/

    56 min

  2. JAN 22 · BONUS

    BONUS: Interview with Journalist & Author Gary Rivlin

    “Write about the tortilla factories and you’re dead.”That was the warning journalist Gary Rivlin received just days after publishing an investigation into the murder of Rudy Lozano — a labor organizer, political strategist, and rising force in Chicago’s Latino community whose work threatened powerful interests spanning organized crime, abusive labor practices, and the city’s political machine. In 1985, the Chicago Reader published Rivlin’s thirteen-page article, “Who Killed Rudy Lozano?” A sweeping, deeply reported examination of a killing that sent shockwaves through Chicago.  If you’ve listened to our earlier episodes, you already know Rudy Lozano: an organizer who confronted crime-connected businesses exploiting undocumented workers; a close ally of Harold Washington, on the eve of his historic election as Chicago’s first Black mayor; and a bridge-builder between communities that didn’t always trust one another. To those in power, Rudy Lozano was himself a threat. This bonus episode presents the full interview with Gary Rivlin, released in its entirety. Rivlin reflects on the intimidation he faced and the questions law enforcement never answered. The conversation also illuminates Chicago through the 70s and 80s, the racial tensions that dominated the period, and the importance of empathetic, deeply reported stories.  Beyond the Reader, Rivlin’s writing has appeared in The New York Times and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his work on the team of journalists reporting the Panama Papers — the trove of leaked financial documents exposing a global industry of crime and corruption hidden by “offshore” companies.  He also authored, Fire on the Prairie, the definitive history of the election of Harold Washington. His most recent, AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Doller Race to Cash In on Artificial Intelligence is just the latest example of Rivlin’s style: longform stories full of vivid detail that he admits were a sort of competitive “revenge” against less ambitious colleagues and publications. But at its core, this episode is about one story that refuses to disappear — preserved, almost by accident — and a question that still lingers decades later: Who killed Rudy Lozano? Resources:  “Who Killed Rudy Lozano?” —  Gary Rivlin  https://garyrivlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Who-Killed-Rudy-Lozano.pdf Gary Rivlin’s work:  https://garyrivlin.com/ Episode 1 covering Rudy Lozano & ‘Chuy’ Negrete, the creation of Aquí En Chicago and the students who prevented his legacy from disappearing.  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-missing-exhibition/id1843229463?i=1000729508603 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4n8qsRp8JrcpahgdtNs4Rh?si=A1QCNcCQTyuWhEQPe5N-bw Harold — This American Life, featuring Gary Rivlin https://www.thisamericanlife.org/869/transcript Ending Song: Rudy Lozano Corrido by Jesus 'Chuy' Negrete For more about “The Missing Exhibition: Building Aquí” or the Aquí En Chicago Exhibition please visit: Podcast Landing Page https://www.chicagohistory.org/exhibitions/building-aqui-podcast/ Exhibition landing Page  https://www.chicagohistory.org/aqui-en-chicago/

    46 min
  3. "We Came Here To Work"

    JAN 1

    "We Came Here To Work"

    What does it mean to serve a country that doesn’t always serve you back? In this episode of The Missing Exhibition: Building Aquí, we trace the life of Frank Corona — a Vietnam War veteran and the first Latino firefighter hired by the Chicago Fire Department — whose story embodies both sacrifice and endurance. Corona agreed to put his life on the line overseas and at home, navigating racism from fellow soldiers and firefighters while remaining steadfast in his commitment to public service. “We Came Here To Work” also widens the lens, examining the long history of “pendulum policies” that welcome labor from Latine countries in moments of economic need, only to criminalize and expel those same workers when political winds shift. Through the connections between U.S. foreign policy across the Americas and migration driven by the search for work, the episode situates Corona’s story within a much larger system. At once a declaration of purpose, a shield against bigotry, and a demand for dignity, “we came here to work” emerges as a phrase layered with pride, pain, and unresolved tension — and a reminder of how deeply Latine labor has shaped Chicago and the nation itself.

    1h 3m
  4. Sound & Faith: Echoes of Defiance and Refuge in a Sanctuary City

    10/29/2025

    Sound & Faith: Echoes of Defiance and Refuge in a Sanctuary City

    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/

    1h 7m
  5. The Missing Exhibition

    10/01/2025

    The Missing Exhibition

    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  https://www.chicagohistory.org/corridos-in-chicago/"Who Killed Rudy Lozano?" — Gary Rivlin, Chicago Reader https://garyrivlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Who-Killed-Rudy-Lozano.pdf Remembering Treasured Chicago Folk Singer Jesus 'Chuy' Negrete — Linda Lutton, WBEZ https://www.wbez.org/culture-the-arts/2021/09/08/remembering-chicagos-chuy-negrete-mexican-folk-singer 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)! https://shorturl.at/lCeZe

    1h 11m

  6. EPISODE 1

    Introducing Building Aquí

    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.

    2 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

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 religious institutions that offered shelter to undocumented people in defiance of federal law, 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. Produced by Rivet360’s Jesse Betend in partnership with the Chicago History Museum.

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