Language constantly shifts in meaning, acquiescing to social dynamics and cultural nuances. Writers and poets twist and bend words to give our lives meaning. Language can also crush who we are, and words can destroy us. Words reveal a society’s values and its humanity, or lack thereof. According to the linguist Noam Chomsky, “A language is not just words. It’s a culture, tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language.”
With the arrival of new families to Chicago, there has been a play with words to describe who they are. Migrants, new arrivals and other words, less than friendly, are what we hear. The word I have yet to hear in the public domain is families. Using this word humanizes the arriving women, men and children. Would the use of this word shift the way we perceive them? Could humanizing them help us understand their vulnerability? We might see them as who and what they are: families.
Chicago’s vibrant Ukrainian and Latino communities are a draw; in part, that is why we now have more than 20,000 “migrants” and more than 30,000 Ukrainian “refugees.”
At least 10,000 civilians and at least 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Concurrently, families primarily from Venezuela are fleeing social upheaval, political turmoil and economic instability. According to the nonpartisan United States Institute of Peace, “Venezuela is in the midst of an unprecedented … humanitarian collapse—the result of bad economic policies and political conflict—that has led to food insecurity, the second largest migration crisis in the world, and regional instability.”
As the holiday celebrations begin, some families and communities will celebrate the birth of an infant boy. Still, for his parents fleeing to Egypt and leaving their homeland to protect him, this child would not have been born. Their journey should resonate with us; an estimated 5,000 children have made dangerous journeys to Chicago with their parents or other caretakers. In other cases, unaccompanied minors have left their home countries to travel north.
Throughout the holidays, we will hear about our human values: love, redemption, family and forgiveness, generosity, divine guidance and peace. One sentence should be spoken and repeated at family gatherings, work parties and public events.
That sentence? They are families, just like ours.
— Esther Nieves, Chicago
Lincoln museum in Springfield
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is home to one of five copies of the 1863 Gettysburg Address, which is showcased in the Treasures Gallery of this fine museum. I visited this beautiful building recently and was greeted by helpful and enthusiastic staffers who welcomed visitors with their knowledge of Lincoln’s life in Illinois and guided us to the two theaters that provide a fine portrait of the Civil War and Lincoln’s leadership during this difficult period in our country’s history. Both presentations are beautifully presented and memorable in the sensitivity they give to the Union Army’s massive losses and Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865.
As a native Illinoisan whose family roots date to 1848 in Peoria, I could not be prouder to live in the Land of Lincoln. This lovely museum is a true jewel in Springfield among many historic sites. Each section of this museum is worth visiting for reflecting on how much Lincoln contributed to Illinois’ heritage and to our nation’s future.
How very fortunate we were to have this great man emerge from humble roots, overcome great personal loss and yet have a deep belief in the values of compassion, resilience and fortitude.
The Lincoln museum embodies all these commendable attributes in exhibits for all to enjoy.
— Madeline M. Spurck, Blue Island
The joys of letter writing
I was very impressed by Mike Stracco’s Nov. 25 letter about teaching English to high schoolers (“Students writing letters”). I wish there were more English teachers like him teaching letter writing, as I believe it is a dying art. My 96-year-old aunt and I wrote letters back and forth every two weeks before her passing last year. I treasure those inspiring letters from her.
When I was very young in the 1950s, my grandmother would send a one-dollar bill a week with a letter to inspire me to help my mother with household chores. My mother would help me to always write back to thank Grandma for the allowance and say how I was helping around the house. Every week.
I know the letter writing skills helped me for my future career. Thank you to Stracco for helping those young English students.
— Nancy G. Olson, Waterman, Illinois
Celebrating Millennium Park
Rick Kogan’s article on the new Geoffrey Baer WTTW-Ch. 11 program, “The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago,” makes me want watch the show (“Some usual suspects but also real treasures as WTTW brings us some more ‘Beautiful Places,’? Nov. 26). However, I take issue with two of Kogan’s observations.
He “was disappointed … that the program ends with a visit to Millennium Park, with its oh-so-familiar bandshell, Crown Fountain and Lurie Garden.” These elements of the park aren’t just “familiar”; they are famous throughout the world, as they deserve to be — and they are beautiful! Chicago will celebrate the 20th anniversary of this magnificent addition to the city next year, so it fully merits inclusion in Baer’s program.
Kogan also points out that many Chicagoans live a distance from these “beautiful places,” so watching the program “may seem a bit like seeing a show about the French Riviera.” Except that all the places mentioned in the show are easily accessible to the public via the CTA or a ride with friends or family or on a school field trip.
With any luck, the program will motivate many of these Chicagoans to go see them. They really are close at hand!
— Bill Hinchliff, Chicago
Taking action to protect birds
Thank you for printing the op-ed by Tara Zuardo and Jacob Drucker concerning the needless deaths of close to 1,000 birds at McCormick Place this past October (“The right windows can save billions of birds. Why not require them?” Nov. 28). I was one of the many who wrote to the members of the Lakeside Center management to demand that they take ownership for this needless death toll and make responsible modifications to their site. It is a reminder that writing letters can foment change!
Wild birds are precious and wondrous, but these are desperate times for them. Recently, I wished Godspeed to a flock of cranes flying southward. They need our attention. We must hold the U.S. Department of the Interior accountable and strongly insist that it uphold the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Imagine not having birds. Imagine no migration. Imagine a world without birdsong.
Protect birds by encouraging businesses to follow the advice of the ornithological experts such as the authors of this piece. We, too, can help by planting native flowers, shrubs and trees rather than putting all our efforts into the perfect lawn. Be a bird brain.
— Monica Wiedlin-Torres, Chicago
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