There’s no place like home for the holidays, and for the migrants who have recently arrived from South and Central America, a holiday party is just the way to bring “home” to Oak Park.
The “Fiesta de Navidad,” or Christmas Party, will take place on Dec. 22 at United Lutheran Church, 409 Greenfield St. in Oak Park. The event is being put on by the Revolutionary Youth Action League, or ROYAL, in collaboration with many young migrants from Venezuela. ROYAL was founded in 2018 at Julian Middle School by a group of Black and Latinx students, and has since become an independent social justice organization for young people.
ROYAL undertook an initiative called Cultivating Youth Bridges, or CYB, starting in September. CYB connects young asylum-seekers with ROYAL’s original members. As the migrant situation developed, a “cohort of Venezuelan young people started meeting with us,” said ROYAL’s adult advisor, Cynthia Brito.
On Oct. 31, asylum-seeking migrants staying in tents outside the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District station in the Austin neighborhood were transported to indoor shelters in Oak Park due to extreme weather risks.
A week after, the new arrivals were living temporarily in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, United Lutheran Church, and the former site of Wild Onion Tied House, according to activist Mika Yamamoto, who is also a teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School.
Then, beginning on Nov. 7, 84 migrants relocated to the Carleton of Oak Park Hotel, 44 went to the West Cook YMCA, and 16 moved to the Grace Episcopal Church in Oak Park, according to the Village of Oak Park’s website. At press time, Yamamoto estimated that roughly 100 migrants were staying at the Carleton and 50 at the YMCA.
In recent weeks, OPRF has gained 11 newcomer Spanish-speaking students, so the administration is adding new resources tailored to their educational needs, according to a Dec. 5 email from Laurie Fiorenza, Ed.D., assistant superintendent of student learning. The district plans to hire a new Spanish-speaking teaching assistant, add a co-teacher to the English as a Second Language, or ESL, class, and provide additional translation resources, among other measures.
To respond to the influx of migrants, on Nov. 2 the Oak Park Village Board passed the Resolution Declaring an Emergency Disaster Affecting Public Health, Safety, and Welfare in Order to Provide Aid and Support to Asylum Seekers Residing in Oak Park. The resolution was set to expire on Dec. 4. However, on Nov. 20 the board decided to extend it to Feb. 6, 2024.
The emergency declaration means that the village has a limited amount of funding to support migrants. At this point, the board has yet to decide on plans for after Feb. 6: “We just don’t know” what will happen, said Yamamoto.
Yet, amidst the uncertainty, a team of young migrants, with the help of 42-year-old Milagros De Marquez, is trying to generate positivity with a celebration.
Brito said, “The young people decided that they wanted Milagros…because they really look up to her as a mentor, so she is leading and envisioning the plan.”
De Marquez is especially focused on honoring and celebrating the traditions of her Venezuelan culture. Through Google Translate, she said, “We plan to make the typical Venezuelan Christmas dish,” pan de jamon, or ham bread. “Also, we plan to play face painting games for the children, and when Santa Claus arrives, to give out gifts to all the children… There is going to be a Venezuelan DJ, too.”
The party is also intended to provide a sense of familiarity to the migrant children, many of whom have suffered trauma in their journey to the United States. “It is important to highlight that most of the children had to go through the Darien Gap,” DeMarquez said. “Everything they went through in the jungle, everything they had to see, everything they had to live through. They had to go through seven different countries,” said De Marquez.
The Darien Gap, a long, treacherous stretch of jungle in Panama that connects the American continents, contains violent animal predators and paramilitary groups. Furthermore, many migrants struggled to leave their families behind in their home country.
De Marquez, who is temporarily housed in the Carleton, came to America with, “my husband, my daughter, my sister, and my nephew. In Venezuela, I left two sisters and a niece,” she said.
Considering the migrants’ hardships, the holiday party aims to foster a community for them in Oak Park, as it is, “by them and for them,” said Brito.
Additionally, locals who have advocated for asylum-seeking individuals will also be on the guest list. “[The migrants] want to share their Venezuelan traditions in a space of joy with the volunteers who they’ve formed relationships with,” said Brito.
De Marquez expects a turnout of 250 to 300 people and wants to showcase the respective talents of the newly arrived migrants: “There are people who know how to decorate, cook, organize parties and have good communication. They want to look for work.”
Due to visa requirements in the U.S. , many of the migrants are unable to find many job opportunities. “When I ask [the migrants] what they need, they always say ‘permission to work,’” said Yamamoto.
De Marquez and other migrants came to the United States in search of a better quality of life, and they are determined to make their way. De Marquez’s husband, José, for instance, is a talented chef. He has been running a takeout pop-up out of Yamamato’s kitchen. Many migrants see the US as a land of freedom and opportunity, and they are trying to put the American dream into action.
Furthermore, De Marquez hopes for media coverage, in order to promote positive associations with Venezuelans immigrants: “This is one positive thing that we want to add…so that the name of our country remains high.”
