Event Title: Stories in Action
Logistics: October 24th at Center on Halsted

In 2025, the Marshall Project reported that ICE arrests surged 515% in Illinois. For LGBTQ+ migrants, anxiety about immigration status is often compounded by fear of persecution in their countries of origin. Yet many Chicagoans remain unaware of detention conditions and the experiences of those detained.

At Stories In Action, 150 volunteers, supporters, donors, and community members will experience art as a tool for healing and advocacy while learning about detention, Migrant Support Collective’s work, and ways to get involved.

The event will feature member artwork, educational exhibits, interactive activities, and resources from movement partners. Eleven migrants in ICE detention have already joined the art program. We have received dozens of works to exhibit and anticipate hundreds more as members fill entire sketchbooks with their art.

A local guest artist will create a large-scale work inspired by experiences of marginalization and immigration enforcement or detention. Created with our team in advance, the piece will anchor the exhibition and spark conversation about the realities of detention.

Following the reception, there will be a panel centering three speakers with relevant lived experiences who will share their art work and personal journeys impacted by U.S. immigration policy.

Migrant Support Collective (MSC) is partnering with Center on Halsted, Chicago Women’s Health Center, and Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD). Our leadership team is majority LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and from immigrant backgrounds, making migrant liberation close to our hearts.

Migrant Support Collective is deeply grateful to the Awesome Foundation for considering our proposal. A partnership with you will help bring our community together to learn, connect, and take action in solidarity with people most impacted by immigration detention.