ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A discussion highlighting journey of prominent Latino communities in Chicago hosted by Stacey Baca

CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC 7 Chicago, Chicago's Number One station for news, will highlight prominent Latino communities in Chicago exploring how and why they chose to come to the Windy City and put down roots. The hour-long, virtual town hall will be available on abc7chicago.com Thursday, October 8 at 2:00 p.m..

The history of Latinos in this country shares similarities with the origins of most immigrants since the early 1900's. The story of Latinos in Chicago is rooted in the search for a better life for family, freedom from political or religious persecution, and for some, just wanting to stay alive.

During this week's digital town hall, Weekend Morning News Anchor/Reporter Stacey Baca will lead a discussion with well-known representatives of Chicago's Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Central American communities. The panel will dive into the reasons behind their journeys, their routes of entry and distinctive contributions to the greater community. They will also share their perspective on the significant influence these communities have had in shaping Chicago politics, arts/culture, education and medicine.

The first part of this town hall is in the player at the top of this story

PART TWO

The 2nd part of our town hall discussing the history of Chicago's Latino communities, hosted by Stacey Baca.

PART THREE

The third and final part of our town hall, hosted by Stacey Baca, on the history of Chicag's Latino communities.

Guest panelists include:

-Carlos Tortolero, Founder and President of the National Museum of Mexican Art

-Maria Bechily, Civic and Philanthropic Leader, Founder and Co-Chair of Nuestro Futuro

-Billy Ocasio, Executive Director of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.

-Patricia Maza-Pittsford, Former Consul General of El Salvador in Chicago

The virtual town hall was exclusively streamed live on ABC 7's Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC 7's app, and ABC 7's connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.

PREVIOUS TOWN HALLS:

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Conversation about Latinos and the 2020 Census hosted by Rob Elgas

Do You Hear Me? A Conversation about Terminology on September 17, hosted by Mark Rivera on Latinx identity and terminology

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race, a virtual town hall with Windy City Live's Val Warner

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race, a virtual town hall with ABC 7's Evelyn Holmes

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race, a virtual town hall with Windy City Live's Val Warner

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 4, 2020: Hosted by Cheryl Burton, on the aftermath of George Floyd's death

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 11, 2020: Hosted by Karen Jordan and Hosea Sanders, on organizational social change

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 18, 2020: Hosted by Evelyn Holmes and Will Jones,on youth movements

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on June 25, 2020: Hostel by Terrell Brown and Leah Hope, on racism in public education

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 2, 2020: Hosted by Hosea Sanders, on summer festivals

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 9, 2020: Hosted by Samantha Chatman, on Black Greek letter organizations

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 16, 2020: Hosted by Cheryl Burton, on violence

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 23, 2020: Hosted by Jim Rose, on race and racism in sports

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on July 23, 2020: Hosted by WCL's Val Warner, on race and education during COVID-19

Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on August 6, 2020: Hosted by Samantha Chatman, on mental health in the Black community

ABC 7 Chicago presents: Do You Hear Me? A Discussion about Race on August 13 with ABC 7's Evelyn Holmes

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About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago

ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.3 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, the station produces 41 hours of local news weekly and Chicago's only local weekday entertainment talk show, "Windy City LIVE," as well as its highest-rated New Year's Eve special. ABC7's award-winning programs such as "Heart and Soul," "The Ñ Beat" and "Asian Influences" showcase the city's diversity, while being the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed. ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.