Climates of Inequality Exhibition

The “Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice” exhibition was curated by the UIC Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center and Social Justice Initiative in partnership with community organizations Alianza Americas and Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.

Climates of Inequality began as a participatory public memory project created by over 500 students, educators and community leaders in over 20 cities across the U.S. and around the world. Local teams worked together to activate the histories of “frontline” communities: those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis but bear its heaviest burdens. These stories expose the roots of current environmental injustice and share generations of frontline communities’ strategies for resistance, resilience and mitigation. 

This exhibition features the stories of seven communities as they confront their respective locality’s history of environmental racism — and how these legacies are contributing to the climate crisis. We expanded our local story by featuring other Chicago sacrifice zones including Altgeld Gardens, Calumet River, McKinley Park, Pilsen and the Southeast Side to show that Little Village is not the only community experiencing these environmental injustices. 

Exhibition ends May 24.

• Tuesday and Wednesday: By appointment only.
• Thursday through Friday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Closed Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

Guided exhibition tours are available upon request.