Inequities will keep spreading if Latinos remain underrepresented in cancer research

Our Hispanic community is a vibrant and essential part of the American tapestry, contributing richly to our society, culture and economy.

Yet, when it comes to health care, this community grapples with significant disparities, especially in cancer care. Although Hispanics get cancer less frequently than the non-Hispanic white population, they experience far worse outcomes, often because their cancers are diagnosed at later stages, making it more difficult to treat.

As a surgical oncologist who treats patients with complex cancers and proud member of the Hispanic community, I’ve seen firsthand how these disparities impact lives. The emotional toll, the uncertainty and the sense of helplessness that many Hispanics experience due to late-stage diagnoses is devastating.

Illinois — Cook County in particular — has a large Hispanic population in need of cancer care, yet many individuals are underinsured or uninsured, limiting health care access. Without intervention, these disparities will only continue to widen, leaving behind those who need care the most.

We must raise awareness about existing health care resources and fight for policies that make cancer care accessible to all. This kind of advocacy requires collaboration between health care providers, local public health departments and community organizations to provide services like medical insurance enrollment, transportation and language support — critical components for increasing access to cancer care.

We also must ensure that cancer research reflects the diverse makeup of our country. Hispanics make up less than 5% of clinical trial participants, despite making up nearly 20% of the U.S. population. If Hispanics remain underrepresented in clinical trials, we risk not only hindering progress in cancer treatment but also depriving this population of the benefits of innovative, potentially life-saving therapies.

We must make sure Hispanic communities are fully informed about the benefits of participating in clinical trials, helping them understand these trials are a pathway to better treatments and outcomes, while taking proactive steps in managing their health.

Cancer is an equal-opportunity disease. It does not discriminate. Yet in today’s polarized political climate, science and evidence-based medicine are increasingly overshadowed by rhetoric and partisanship, putting crucial cancer research funding — especially studies addressing racial disparities — at risk.

This threatens the tremendous progress we have made in cancer treatment and advancing medical knowledge. And it is particularly harmful for cancer patients, who rely on groundbreaking research for the best possible treatments.

We need to push forward as a compassionate society and ensure that every patient has access to the highest quality cancer care available. Ensuring that Hispanics are included in cancer research isn’t just about making science more inclusive. It’s about saving lives.

Dr. Mecker G. Möller, surgical oncologist, University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center

Subject to the whim of autocrats

A recent Oval Office meeting between Donald Trump and El Salvadoran strongman Nayib Bukele was quite the event. Trump was flanked by cabinet secretaries sneering at reporters who deigned to ask questions. The president piled on, applauding an adviser who misstated — well, lied — about a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering the administration to take steps to effectuate the return of someone caught up in Trump’s mass deportation scheme.

Trump’s cruelty was on display as he and Bukele discussed the plight of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a native El Salvadoran who has lived for years in Maryland, working in construction and raising three children with his wife, a U.S. citizen. Abrego Garcia escaped El Salvador at age 12, after having been threatened by local gangs. In 2019, an immigration judge ruled Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador, finding he was at risks of threats — and even death.

In March, however, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials stopped Abrego Garcia while he was driving with his son, took him into custody and sent him to a detention center in Texas. ICE then put him on a plane to El Salvador where he has been held for weeks in a notoriously dangerous "super" prison.

Trump administration officials have told a federal judge he was sent to El Salvador as part of an "administrative error." Despite the admitted error, the administration refuses to bring about Abrego Garcia's return.

Trump and his staff continue to say Abrego Garcia's was a gang member, but there's no public evidence to support that allegation. Indeed, the decision to label him a "gang member" seemed to revolve around him wearing a Chicago Bulls hat.

Where, one might ask, has humanity gone in Trump’s presidency? Not once in the Oval Office meeting did any official express concern about Abrego Garcia's health or well-being. Indeed, in the days after the meeting, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested Abrego Garcia's wife and children were “better off” with him being in a far away prison.

This cruelty, along with Trump’s autocratic tendencies, puts us all at risk. If Trump can behave so cruelly to Mr. Abrego Garcia, he can do so for anyone in America — citizen or not. It is time to pay attention before those policies are turned on all of us. It is time to speak out.

Edwin C. Yohnka, director of communications and public policy, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois

Broadway plan will enrich neighborhood

Broadway is the heart of the 48th Ward. It is a dynamic commercial corridor home to small businesses, restaurants and neighborhood services that define Uptown and Edgewater. With its direct connection to the CTA Red Line, Broadway is a gateway for residents across Chicago.

Yet outdated zoning policies threaten its future, restricting growth at a time when affordability and economic vitality are more critical than ever.

For too long, these policies have stifled new housing and driven up costs, pushing out working families and leaving small businesses struggling with declining foot traffic.

The Broadway Land Use Framework plan, recently approved by the Chicago Plan Commission, is an opportunity to correct these failures. By modernizing outdated zoning restrictions, this plan opens the door to responsible development, ensuring that new growth includes the affordable housing our community desperately needs.

With the Red and Purple Line Modernization project set to transform transit on the North Side, we have a rare moment to build on this investment. More housing means more residents, more economic activity and a safer, more vibrant Broadway.

It is a simple reality: When the housing supply fails to meet demand, prices soar and longtime residents are displaced. The Broadway plan acknowledges this by allowing for greater density, ensuring that more people — not just the wealthiest — can afford to call this neighborhood home.

Broadway has long served as a dividing line: to the east, high-density rental communities, and to the west, low-density owner-occupied homes. This framework envisions something better: a Broadway that unites rather than separates Uptown and Edgewater; a corridor that prioritizes walkability, transit access and neighborhood vibrancy; a place that welcomes newcomers while strengthening the community that already exists.

This plan was not created in isolation. The 48th Ward alongside the Department of Planning and Development and the Department of Housing engaged residents, businesses and community partners.

Through public meetings, direct outreach and extensive feedback, the vision for a stronger Broadway emerged — not from City Hall but from the people who live and work here. And the response has been clear: The community supports a higher-density, more inclusive Broadway.

Change will not happen overnight. But the cost of inaction is far greater. We urge the Chicago City Council to support the Broadway Land Use Framework plan and invest in a future where Uptown and Edgewater thrive together.

Better Streets Chicago

Abundant Housing Illinois

Loyola University Chicago

Active Transportation Alliance

Strong Towns Chicago

Elevated Chicago

Bickerdike

Neighbors of Edgewater and Uptown

Sierra Club Chicago

Chicago Growth Project

Edgewater Uptown Builders Association

What would Gandhi do?

Last weekend’s “50501" demonstrations, along with the “Hands Off” protests a couple weeks earlier, showed that Americans are finally returning to the type of mass protest tactics that were so common and effective during Donald Trump’s first term.

But resistance cannot stop the moment protesters disperse. What can we be doing on a daily basis to strengthen the resistance to Trump’s anti-democratic actions?

As an author who has studied and written about Gandhi, I found his actions between protests were just as important as the marches themselves. And they offer a valuable playbook for resistors in Chicago today.

First, Gandhi understood the power of non-cooperation. As Trump has sought to dramatically expand executive power, he has been assisted by private organizations, from corporations to universities, who have readily acceded to his agenda.

All citizens have the power to push back against this voluntary capitulation. We can raise our voices in the places where we work and volunteer, like over 600 employees at Harvard University did, to insist our organizations continue to stand up for democracy, free speech and equal rights.

Second, Gandhi believed in the need to engage locally. He spearheaded community works programs, building houses and wells in rural villages. Similarly, we can take action by giving time and energy to local community organizations. We should especially look to support programs that have been directly harmed by Trump policies, such as refugee assistance organizations, food pantries and health clinics.

For Gandhi, working in the community was not only about doing good, it was about building networks that would form the backbone of his resistance movement. The new people we meet when we engage locally might end up joining us at a rally or turn out at the voting booth months down the road.

As Trump continues to undermine the foundations of our democracy, we cannot afford to sit and wait for national organizations to plan the next national day of protest. Gandhi’s playbook offers concrete actions we all can take to supplement protest efforts and make our local communities stronger at the same time.

Ches Thurber, Geneva

Lessons from our cheesehead neighbors

I struggle to think of a more high-stakes, non-federal election than the one that took place in Wisconsin earlier this month. In one of the most hotly contested state Supreme Court races in history, ordinary voters squared off against the richest man in the world — and won.

Elon Musk poured at least $20 million into backing his chosen candidate, shattering spending records in an attempt to hand-pick Wisconsin’s next Supreme Court justice. But if Musk and his fellow ultra-wealthy donors expected Wisconsin to bow under the weight of their cash, they guessed wrong.

Instead, their meddling ignited a grassroots backlash that saw turnout surged to 50% of voting-age adults, remarkable for an off-cycle court race. Voters from Milwaukee to Madison saw Musk’s involvement as an affront, a naked attempt by an outsider billionaire to hijack their state’s highest court. And they proved that grassroots democracy can trump even the deepest pockets.

Wisconsin showed the outrageous lengths to which the ultra-rich will go to corrupt and bend our democracy to their will; but it also proved the indomitable power of voters when we unite. As citizens, we must take this lesson to heart and make it clear that our votes are not for sale — not now, not ever.

But we must also address the threat proactively. That means taking real action to fortify our democracy, starting with serious campaign finance reform. Chicago and Illinois can and should lead the way.

John Engle, Logan Square