WOODLAWN — South Siders of all cultures, ages and tenures in the community will gather for a meal this weekend, aiming to make migrant families’ transitions to Woodlawn as smooth as possible as they settle in the neighborhood.
The Woodlawn community banquet is Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 6400 S. Kimbark Ave. West African meals prepared by Near West Side restaurant Dozzy’s Grill will be served.
The banquet is organized by Chicago4All, an initiative which offers resources to new arrivals at the Wadsworth shelter and beyond; and New Life Centers, whose New Vecinos program helps move migrant families into furnished apartments.
To register for the free event, click here.
“We understand some of the confusion and misinformation [around resettled migrants], and we’re here to help bridge that,” Chicago4All founder Paula Gean said.
“It’s not only multiculturalism in terms of attendees and programming, but also in the food. We wanted to bring as much culture … to destigmatize and start changing the narrative of ‘us versus them’ to where it’s now ‘us.'”
Resettled families living in apartments across Woodlawn are invited to the banquet, organizers said. Though the city-run shelter at the old Wadsworth Elementary is nearby, the families initially lived in shelters across Chicago, they said.
The New Vecinos program — founded in May 2023 — has helped 4,400 families navigate the state’s rental assistance program for asylum seekers, program Director Andre Gordillo said.
Even as families find housing on the South Side, they face barriers around language, employment, access to healthy food and transportation, Gordillo said. The banquet will put resettled families in touch with their immediate neighbors, who can connect them with resources to help overcome those barriers, he said.
Spanish-English translators will be on hand Saturday to help facilitate those conversations, organizers said.
“Of course it’s a blessing to receive a warm meal and clothing and to meet people, but what we would love is for [neighbors] to say [to migrants], ‘Let’s meet once a week or once a month. How can I help you with jobs and housing in the long term?'” Gordillo said. “That’s what’s really needed — a community that pours into these folks long term.”
The banquet will also encourage attendees to talk through the cultural differences that can lead to tensions among neighbors, Gean said.
Littering is an example of a frustration that can be resolved through dialogue, Gean said. Migrants living at Wadsworth and resettled families may come from countries which didn’t experience massive anti-littering campaigns like the United States, she said.
Trash accumulation is “a valid complaint of neighbors, so we can bridge that gap with some understanding and context, and help new arrivals understand that is really frowned upon here,” Gean said.
Chicago4All organizers will also kick off their latest season of Sunday soccer this month, in partnership with New Life Centers and Street Soccer USA Chicago. The program’s first match of the year is 3 p.m. May 19 in the park neighboring the Wadsworth shelter, 6420 S. University Ave.
Organizers and members of the city’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights are also planning an event this summer where migrants can get a CityKey ID card, Gean said.
Neighbors plan to continue holding banquets at venues across the South Side, Gean said. To volunteer with the banquets, Sunday sports, CityKey event or other programs through Chicago4All, email info@chicago4all.org.
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