BETWEEN CHICAGO AND PUERTO RICO , AT THE McA UNTIL MAY 5.

>>> WE CONTINUE WITH MORE.

THE INSTITUTE HAS RESEARCH INTO LATINO COMMUNITIES EXPANDING REPORTS ON COVID'S IMPACT TO GENTRIFICATION.

IT CAME NATURAL TO PUT THEIR EFFORTS TOGETHER TO CREATE THE LATINO RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

THE GOAL IS THAT IT WILL SERVE AS A DATA HUB FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS, POLICYMAKERS AND MORE.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE INITIATIVE ARE THE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO AND SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE INSTITUTE AND COHOST OF DEMOCRACY NOW.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US NOW.

>> WHAT SPURRED THE INSTITUTE TO CREATE THE INITIATIVE?

>> THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THIS.

WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE.

AS LATINOS, WE HAVE OVER 100 YEARS OF HISTORY IN THIS CITY AND WE ARE A GROWING COMMUNITY.

WITH THAT GROWTH COMES A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES AND NEED.

ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF THE LATINO INITIATIVE IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HARNESS THE VARIOUS RESEARCH PRODUCTS THAT WE ENGAGE IN WHICH WILL BRING TOGETHER THE BERRIES STAKEHOLDERS AND POLICYMAKERS, ACTIVISTS, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH FOUNDATIONS.

TO BRING FOLKS TOGETHER, WITH THEM, WE PRODUCE THE KIND OF RESEARCH THAT CAN BE USED TO HELP IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF NOT ONLY THE GROWING POPULATION BUT A DIVERSE POPULATION.

>> JUAN, AS A JOURNALIST, HOW DO YOU THINK THIS AND FORMS ON HOW WE REPORT?

>> EVERYONE NEEDS ACCURATE INFORMATION, ACCURATE DATA.

THE REALITY IS, THE LATINO POPULATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN GROWING AT SUCH A RAPID RATE THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT EVEN AWARE.

THERE ARE MORE LATINOS NOW IN THE SUBURBS OF CHICAGO THAN THERE ARE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

2 MILLION LATINOS IN THE SUBURBS VERSUS 800,000 IN THE CITY.

WE ARE SEEING IN THE WESTERN SUBURBS ESPECIALLY, ENORMOUS GROWTH, NOT ONLY IN THE POPULATION BUT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET A SENSE, TOWN BY TOWN, AREA BY AREA OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA WHERE THE WORLD IS AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF LATINOS.

THE FUTURE OF LATINOS IS THE FUTURE OF AMERICA TODAY.

>> WITHOUT A DOUBT.

>> WHAT TYPES OF RESEARCH HAS THE INSTITUTE ALREADY PRODUCED?

>> SOME OF THE RESEARCH WE HAVE DONE IS THE LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS REPORT.

WE ARE ABOUT TO UPDATE THAT REPORT.

IT SHOWS SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN OCCURRING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.

WE KNOW THAT GENTRIFICATION IS A BIG ISSUE.

THERE ARE COUPLE OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE EXPERIENCING DECLINE.

WE HAVE ALSO PARTNERED WITH COMMUNITY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION AND HEALTHY FAMILY FOUNDATIONS TO LOOK AT THE WESTERN SUBURBS.

WE PARTNER WITH METROPOLITAN PLANNING COUNCIL AND LATINO POLICY INSTITUTE.

WE PARTNER WITH OTHERS ON GENDER VIOLENCE.

WE HAVE WORKED WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PUERTO RICAN AGENDA, TO PRODUCE A DATABOOK FOR PUERTO RICO TOWN.

WE JUST DID A REPORT, FOR EXAMPLE, ON TILSON AND WHO IS NOW LIVING IN TILSON.

THE LIST GOES ON.

WHAT WE HOPE WITH THE INITIATIVE IS THAT IT HELPS SPUR EVEN MORE OF THAT KIND OF RESEARCH.

>> JUAN, YOU ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THE SUBURBS JUST A MINUTE AGO.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS POTENTIAL AREAS FOR MORE RESEARCH?

>> THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SITUATION.

FOR INSTANCE, 97% OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT IS LATINO.

79% IN WAUKEGAN, 65% IN JOLIET, 66% -- THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE SUBURBS ARE EXPLODING WITH LATINO STUDENTS.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN TERMS OF THE SERVICES THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED?

WHAT IS THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF TEACHERS AND THOSE WHO WORK IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THESE SCHOOLS?

WE DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT DATA TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN HOW WE ARE, AS A COMMUNITY, AS A SOCIETY, DEALING WITH THIS EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF THE LATINO POPULATION.

WITH THE VENEZUELANS COMING IN, IT WILL GROW EVEN FASTER.

>> ENROLLMENT HAS INCREASED IN CPS AND PART OF THAT IS PRECISELY BECAUSE OF NEW ARRIVALS.

>> TERESA, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GAP IN RESEARCH AROUND LATINO COMMUNITIES?

>> ONE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS FOR COMMUNITY RESEARCH THAT WE ARE DOING IS TO SHOW THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYMENT AND SETTLEMENT DATA, WHERE WE LIVE AND WHERE WE WORK.

HISTORICALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE WE SETTLED WAS VERY MUCH IN CONNECTION TO WHERE WE WORKED, WHETHER IT WAS SOUTH CHICAGO, NEAR THE WEST SIDE.

ONE OF OUR YOUNG SCHOLARS, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS PRODUCED A MAP AND WILL FURTHER UPDATE THE DATA SHOWING WHERE WE ARE IN THE LABOR FORCE, THE OCCUPATIONAL AND INDUSTRIAL SITES FOR EXAMPLE AND, WE HAVE THE LOWEST WAGES.

FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE CONCENTRATED IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONAL INDUSTRIES AND WE HAVE THE LOWEST WAGES OF ANYONE.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HOUSEHOLD INCOMES, FOR EXAMPLE, IT MAY LOOK HIGHER FOR US BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD.

WE HAVE HIGHER HOUSEHOLD SIZE.

WHEN YOU BREAK IT DOWN, YOU SEE WE HAVE REALLY LOW WAGES.

SO, ISSUES AROUND EMPLOYMENT, ISSUES AROUND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND THE IMPACT OF OUR LOCATION IN RELATION TO INDUSTRIAL SITES AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR OUR HEALTH, OUR RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR INCIDENCES OF CANCER AND DIABETES, OBESITY CAN ALSO TRACE BACK TO THIS ISSUE.

>> I KNOW THAT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE HERE IN CHICAGO AS WELL.

JUAN, WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS?

>> THAT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.

SO MANY UNIVERSITIES HAVE VERY LITTLE CONNECTIONS.

THEY DO A LOT OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH BUT VERY -- ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THIS IS THAT WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS.

WE TELL THEM, WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS?

WHAT IS THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO CRAFT POLICY INTO CHANGE?

THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP THAT WE ARE THINKING OF BUILDING, FOR YEARS, IT HAS BEEN CRITICAL.

WE HAVE BEEN ARMING THE COMMUNITY WITH THE KIND OF