garcia
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Farmers often cheat immigrants
In the mid-1950s my father started traveling from Mexico to the U.S. for the same reason millions of others have done so: to find work. He became a migrant worker, toiling in the hot sun, often in pesticide- and fertilizer-soaked farm fields. He picked potatoes …Read More
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He wants to unfix an Olympic fix
Donald “Taps” Gallagher insists history can be rewritten for the outcome of the 1972 Olympic men’s gold-medal basketball game between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Amid American jubilation over a narrow U.S. win, the Soviets were given end-of-game do-overs because of timing errors and involvement …Read More
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Being undocumented didn’t stop techie
For some teenagers, being undocumented brings on social paralysis. They cannot shake a fear of deportation or a future pocked by the poverty that plagues their parents. Fabian Garcia fought those fears and made it. At 18, not long after graduating from Curie High School …Read More
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Ballplayer faced staunch racism
Fourteen years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in modern baseball with his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Baldomero Almada became the first Mexican-born baseball player to play in a major-league game. Born in the state of Sonora, Almada grew up in …
Coach K: From Ukrainian Village to March Madness
Mike Krzyzewski is a familiar name to even casual sports fans. One of the country’s most successful basketball coaches, he has led Duke University to four national championships and twice coached the USA to gold-medal finishes in the Olympics. What many forget is that Krzyzewski, …
Sports keeps these kids on straight path
Over the weekend, the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament took over the United Center to large jazzed crowds while the top high school teams descended on Peoria for the conclusion of the Illinois High School Association’s state tournament. Meanwhile, I was the lone spectator sitting …
Obama policies bad for immigrants
When Barack Obama ran for the presidency in 2008, he was all about hope and change. After he was elected, he delivered on “change” for undocumented immigrants but not in the way many had hoped. Obama deported more undocumented immigrants than any other president, though …
Skullcandy gets the better end of Simeon sponsorship deal
Jabari Parker is a senior in high school, months shy of starting college, but corporations already view the Simeon Career Academy basketball player as a hot commodity. Parker is a 6-foot-8-inch man among boys who will play at Duke next season and could be earning …
Why even Rice Chex makes me nervous
As our nation fights an obesity epidemic, we are bombarded with messages about healthful eating. Yet the messages are mixed. One day we are encouraged to eat blueberries because they are high in fiber and antioxidants. The next day we hear that blueberries absorb dangerous …
Wrigleyville 20-somethings committed to building schools in Uganda
When I think of Wrigleyville, my mind turns to Wrigley Field and the lucky 20-somethings who live near the ballpark and the surrounding taverns and restaurants. Andy Bauer, Drew Edwards and Kevin Oh, roommates who live a block away from Wrigley Field whom I can …
1979 unforgettable, catchy name or not
As winter storm Nemo barreled down the Northeast last weekend, I momentarily and perhaps selfishly felt a sense of relief. At least it wasn’t us buried deep in treacherous conditions. Chicagoans know a lot about that, and those of us about 40 or older can …
If we slow down, we’ll teach more
Now and then, math test scores create a buzz in education. This happened in December when test scores among fourth- and eighth-grade students showed the once-dominant U.S. still lags behind countries such as Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, China and Japan. Math curriculum expert Phil Daro, …
Scholarships for undocumented?
For the poverty-stricken, going to college is a hardship that can be overcome with state and federal financial aid. That’s not true for those who are poor and undocumented. Regulations ban them from receiving such aid because of their immigration status. There is no regard …
Te’o online love is not only fantasy
Manti Te’o went from being a heroic, celebrated football player for Notre Dame to a national punch line, because his girlfriend, whom he supposedly nurtured by phone in her dying days, never existed. He got caught up in a hoax. The jury is out on …
Searching for Korea Town
The sign is familiar to anyone who regularly drives on the inbound Kennedy Expressway from O’Hare Airport. Korea Town, Exit 84. That’s the Lawrence Avenue exit, and I took it one day last week. But I couldn’t find Korea Town. A lengthy stretch of Lawrence …
Suburban counselor helps kids escape gangs
Street gangs usually are synonymous with city life, miles away from the suburbs. Yet police officers, teachers and counselors in many suburbs can tell you gangs long ago infiltrated the neighborhoods they serve. Carlos Rodriguez and Ivan Ibarra have seen the gangs up close. Rodriguez …
How to make the perfect holiday tamale
We have turkey at Thanksgiving. Candy at Easter. Fireworks for the Fourth of July. During the December holidays, tamales are a staple for Latinos, a tradition that goes back centuries. Tamales are the ultimate comfort food, and when done right, they require hours of work. …
Giving where it matters most
For a few reasons, December is a big month for charitable giving. There are tax deductions to accumulate as well as a giving spirit connected to the holidays. This month’s issue of Chicago magazine featured 15 local nonprofits that use 75 percent or more of …
A boost for adult language skills
The desks at Chicago Math and Science Academy can be a bit uncomfortable for grown-ups. They look brand new, but they are made for the sixth- through 12th-graders who attend the charter school in Rogers Park. This semester the school added a new class that …
