15 West (Page 1)

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Anita Piotrowski Finally Gets to Be Seen — Anita Piotrowski. | NaBeela Washington/15 West

Art

Anita Piotrowski Finally Gets to Be Seen

In retirement, she's become the artist she always was.

By NaBeela Washington • 7 min read

After Operation Midway Blitz, Little Village refuses to disappear — The Little Village arch on 26th Street at sunset. | NaBeela Washington/15 West

Little Village

After Operation Midway Blitz, Little Village refuses to disappear

Six months later, residents are still healing. But they're also organizing, shopping local, and refusing to be broken.

By Alondra Carmona • 4 min read

How Ojala Foundation Is Building What Chicago's Latino Muslim Community Never Had — Community members take turns at a piñata during Ojala's Eid celebration. | Provided by Jordan Esparza-Kelley

Faith

How Ojala Foundation Is Building What Chicago's Latino Muslim Community Never Had

What happens when a Latino Muslim community decides to build its own home and leaves the door open for others in the process.

By Sumaiyya Siddiqi • 4 min read

Pilsen Has Lived Through One Bad Demolition. Residents Are Fighting to Make Sure Fisk Is Different. — P.E.R.R.O. members rally outside City Hall. | Provided by Zitlalli Paez

Environment

Pilsen Has Lived Through One Bad Demolition. Residents Are Fighting to Make Sure Fisk Is Different.

Residents say the Fisk site is full of heavy metals and coal ash that haven't been properly tested. They halted the demolition once. Now they're fighting to make sure it stays halted until the city does it right.

By Liana Ordoñez • 7 min read

In the first live-streamed genocide, Chicago challenges media narratives on Gaza — A visitor observes photographic works depicting scenes from daily life, waterfront moments, and groups of people, contemplating the human stories captured within the frames. | Provided by Bobby Vanecko

Gaza

In the first live-streamed genocide, Chicago challenges media narratives on Gaza

Local artists, educators, and journalists are using exhibitions, research, and storytelling to counter what they see as dehumanizing coverage of Palestinians.

By Caroline Keane • 5 min read

From Vacant Lots to Gardens of Resistance — Illustration: Alex Kraus/15 West

Environment

From Vacant Lots to Gardens of Resistance

Communities across Chicago and its suburbs are joining cities nationwide in rewriting the narrative around food access and green space. Residents are turning abandoned lots into vibrant spaces for growing food, building community, and practicing resistance.

By Liana Ordoñez • 4 min read

Candlelight Vigil Reunites All Fred Hampton and Mark Clark Survivors After 56 Years — Two chairs in remembrance of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. | NaBeela Washington/15 West

History

Candlelight Vigil Reunites All Fred Hampton and Mark Clark Survivors After 56 Years

Survivors of the 1969 raid, former Black Panthers, residents, and community organizers gathered at the site of the assassination to honor how the Black Panthers' revolutionary work continues today, amid opposition over who has the right to tell their story.

By NaBeela Washington • 5 min read

Viva la Vida: Honoring Memory Through Dance in Chicago — CICA’s main company dance ensemble rehearses their final number at the Collaborative Institute of Cultural Arts in Brighton Park on Oct. 21, 2025. | Araceli Ramirez/15 West

Art

Viva la Vida: Honoring Memory Through Dance in Chicago

At CICA’s Brighton Park studio, young dancers spent weeks rehearsing Veracruz-style folklórico for the Día de Muertos showcase on Nov. 2, learning the music and traditions behind the performance.

By Araceli Ramirez • 6 min read

a mascletà for burning and flowering: Natasha Mijares on ritual, resistance, and rebirth — Mijares pouring rose tea into a mug as guests arrive. | NaBeela Washington/15 West

Art

a mascletà for burning and flowering: Natasha Mijares on ritual, resistance, and rebirth

Artist Natasha Mijares brings the Valencian tradition of mascletà to Humboldt Park through spoken word, textile, and performance.

By NaBeela Washington • 7 min read

Eating Our Way Home: Addis Cafe — A freshly prepared latte and blueberry muffin. | NaBeela Washington/15 West

Eating Our Way Home

Eating Our Way Home: Addis Cafe

Part one of a series featuring food spaces that feel like home, this cafe thrives at the intersection of Ethiopian tradition and community turned family.

By NaBeela Washington • 5 min read

We Were Here — Chicago Transit Authority train car, late evening. | Genesis Falls/15 West

Housing

We Were Here

In the first of three parts, a photo essay explores how Chicago's West Side communities insist on presence and dignity in the face of displacement, revealing the persistence of life where others see only absence.

By Genesis Falls • 4 min read

Silence Isn't Good Enough: Berwyn Leaders Push for Transparency. — Photo courtesy of Patricia Ostaszewski.

Berwyn

Silence Isn't Good Enough: Berwyn Leaders Push for Transparency.

Tired of unanswered questions and fragmented information, Janel King and fellow residents are creating new paths to transparency in Berwyn.

By NaBeela Washington • 4 min read