Roots & Routes Initiative

Looking for ways to celebrate Día de los Mu***os this week? Join our partners at the UIC Latino Cultural Center for their series of events starting tomorrow!

🦋💀🎨 Dia de los Mu***os Fall 2025: Honoring the Legacy of Political Activism and the Arts 🎭🦋💀

🔥 Presented by the UIC Latino Cultural Center

🎭 All events will be held in-person at the UIC Latino Cultural Center, Lecture Center B2.

Join us for our following events!

🕯️ Communal Altar Installation
When: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Time: 1pm-3pm

🐛 UIC Heritage Garden Harvest Festival: Remembrance
When: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Time: 12pm-2pm

🎼 Music Performance and Ritual
When: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Time: 5:30pm-7pm

🎤 Noche de Poetas: Student Open Mic Night
When: Thursday, October 30, 2025
Time: 5:30pm-7pm

🎉 All audiences are welcome. For more information or to arrange accommodations, contact the LCC at [email protected] or call 312-996-3095.

For more information about these events, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPe_K9gkcOR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

LCC Public Programs: https://latinocultural.uic.edu/events/dia-de-los-muertos-2025/

Standing Together in Community and Solidarity

Since 2017, Día de los Mu***os at La Ronda Parakata Gathering Space has been a collective space of remembrance and resilience to honor ancestors and celebrate life nurturing one another.

After thoughtful reflection with our La Ronda partners, we have made the difficult decision to pause this year’s celebration to prioritize the safety, dignity, and well-being of our communities.

We are deeply concerned about the growing climate of fear, violence, and intimidation affecting diverse communities across Chicago. Now more than ever, we stand together in solidarity.

We remain united in the belief that nature holds the power to animate our diverse cultural traditions and to sustain our shared humanity.

--
Juntos, Unidos en Comunidad y Solidaridad

Desde 2017, la celebración del Día de los Mu***os en el Espacio de Encuentro La Ronda Parakata, ha sido un lugar colectivo de memoria y resiliencia para honrar a nuestros antepasados y celebrar la vida, acompañándonos unos a otros.

Después de una cuidadosa reflexión con nuestros socios y aliados de La Ronda, hemos tomado la difícil decisión de hacer una pausa en la celebración de este año para priorizar la seguridad, la dignidad y el bienestar de nuestras comunidades.

Nos preocupa profundamente la creciente ola de miedo, violencia e intimidación que afecta a diversas comunidades en todo Chicago. Ahora más que nunca, nos mantenemos unidos en solidaridad.

Continuamos firmes con la convicción de que la naturaleza tiene el poder de alimentar nuestras diversas tradiciones culturales y de sostener nuestro sentido compartido de humanidad.

Come to Sankofa for the Earth this Sunday, September 21, for the second annual Earth Jam! The family-friendly event will feature a libations ceremony and story performed by Mama Edie, a renowned multi-lingual performance artist. Participants can also expect tasty treats, live music led by Drummers of Chi-Village, and additional activities designed to foster community and creativity, including instrument-making with Mobile Music Box.

Check out the newest blog post on Gatheringspaces.org and get an inside look into Bronzeville Neighborhood Farm!

Roz Owens on Bronzeville Neighborhood Farm — Gathering Spaces Director of Bronzeville Neighborhood Farm, Mrs. Roz Owens, illustrated her impact on the organization as she wraps up her fifth season in charge.

We love our intern, Eliette!

Eliette Soler
Keller Science Action Center, Field Museum

As a part of the Roots & Routes Initiative team, I am focused on communications with the public and across the network of artists and community organizations that contribute to the Gathering Spaces. My primary responsibility thus far has been to familiarize myself with the structure of the Roots & Routes network and establish relationships with partners. Further, I am assisting with event planning. This includes developing a task manager using Google Sheets which organizes task delegation, budget tracking, and scheduling day-of activities and volunteer roles. My objective for the summer is to create a content schedule that the team can follow throughout the year. This includes conducting interviews and research to feature in blog posts, newsletters, Facebook Posts, and other means of communication. I have been asked to manage various administrative tasks as well such as updating the Roots & Routes website using Squarespace and developing an information storage system for maintaining the partner contact list in Google Sheets, which will accompany the team's use of Constant Contact software.

Art and culture oriented non-profits whose 2025 federal grants have been terminated are eligible to apply for the DCASE Arts Relief Fund. Applications are due on Wednesday, August 20! Click on the link for more details.

DCASE Arts Relief Fund Program The DCASE Arts Relief Fund aims to support arts and culture organizations impacted by recent federal funding cuts through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).