Latino USA visits the Windy City for a behind-the-scenes look at Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s campaign for Mayor of Chicago. Chuy has represented Mexican neighborhoods in Chicago in local government for over three decades, and on April 7th, he’s going up against national political star Rahm Emanuel in an election that has been electrifying Chicago.
Chuy Garcia is out-gunned, outspent and down in the polls, but a grassroots movement to elect him is growing, and if he can get his message out to enough voters in time, he just might have a chance.
In this episode: we follow Chuy and his staff on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the election as we ask the question: what does it look like when a Latino runs for mayor in one of America’s greatest cities?
I don’t live in Chicago, Seems like he would be great for the position too.
I disagree with WBEZ’s decision not to air the Chuy episode. And I’m disappointed but not surprised NPR pulled it’s branding from this episode.
The concerns raised by Ben Calhoun, the WBEZ director of content, and the NPR ombudsman show the misunderstanding that public radio leaders have of minority issues. The episode did point out that NOT all Latinos are behind Chuy. Rahm supporters, Susana Mendoza and Luis Gutierrez, were included. A white woman also expressed why she would not vote for Chuy because of his name.
The show was about what an underdog minority candidate has to do in a large city with few Latinos in power to wage a strong campaign. I thought the conversation about race, the history, and the inclusion of Harold Washington’s voice actually proved that Chuy was not at the caliber of Harold Washington.
Look–Chicago Public Radio loves to meet the needs and interests of a gentrified Chicago. Just another reason why I listen to WBEZ less and less–and why I stopped making donations years ago.