Sentinel of Soot and Sunlight: A Bird’s Eye View of Justice and Hope
Location
SU-217
Start Date
1-5-2026 10:10 AM
Department
Teacher Education
Abstract
In my work I highlight how climate justice and storytelling can be used to create a science education that is culturally responsive. My project is a zine that addresses the urgent issue of climate justice in Chicago’s underrepresented neighborhoods. The zine supports culturally responsive teaching by centering voices often silenced in mainstream science education. Instead of presenting climate change as distant data, as mainstream science does, through the zine, I localize the lens: students see their own neighborhoods, families, and cultural traditions reflected in the curriculum. From Little Village, North Lawndale, Pilsen, Brighton Park, Back of the Yards, and Chinatown, the zine shows how each community carries both struggle and strength, forming a mosaic of Chicago’s fight for climate justice. I chose this focus because I live in one of these communities, and the surrounding neighborhoods shape my daily life and that of my students. For middle schoolers, climate change isn’t abstract- it’s the heat rising from playground asphalt, the soot on laundry lines, and the coughs in classrooms. This zine is designed for grades 6–8, where students can connect science to lived experience and still feel empowered to act. I draw from global climate justice education sources and local case studies, including the fight in Little Village to shut down a coal plant that had harmed residents for decades. The goal is for students to feel these realities, not just study them. The pigeon is the narrator in the zine because of its symbolism: pigeons are everywhere, overlooked, yet resilient. They survive in soot, steel, and concrete-just like the communities I highlight. Visually, I hand‑drew and colored each page in crayon and pencil to create a tactile, raw feel. The cover illustration was commissioned to set the tone, but the interior art is mine, aligned with the story arc. Each neighborhood page balances crisis and resilience: smokestacks and solar panels, flooded basements and community gardens, youth organizing on TikTok and marching downtown.
Faculty Sponsor
Judith Landeros
Sentinel of Soot and Sunlight: A Bird’s Eye View of Justice and Hope
SU-217
In my work I highlight how climate justice and storytelling can be used to create a science education that is culturally responsive. My project is a zine that addresses the urgent issue of climate justice in Chicago’s underrepresented neighborhoods. The zine supports culturally responsive teaching by centering voices often silenced in mainstream science education. Instead of presenting climate change as distant data, as mainstream science does, through the zine, I localize the lens: students see their own neighborhoods, families, and cultural traditions reflected in the curriculum. From Little Village, North Lawndale, Pilsen, Brighton Park, Back of the Yards, and Chinatown, the zine shows how each community carries both struggle and strength, forming a mosaic of Chicago’s fight for climate justice. I chose this focus because I live in one of these communities, and the surrounding neighborhoods shape my daily life and that of my students. For middle schoolers, climate change isn’t abstract- it’s the heat rising from playground asphalt, the soot on laundry lines, and the coughs in classrooms. This zine is designed for grades 6–8, where students can connect science to lived experience and still feel empowered to act. I draw from global climate justice education sources and local case studies, including the fight in Little Village to shut down a coal plant that had harmed residents for decades. The goal is for students to feel these realities, not just study them. The pigeon is the narrator in the zine because of its symbolism: pigeons are everywhere, overlooked, yet resilient. They survive in soot, steel, and concrete-just like the communities I highlight. Visually, I hand‑drew and colored each page in crayon and pencil to create a tactile, raw feel. The cover illustration was commissioned to set the tone, but the interior art is mine, aligned with the story arc. Each neighborhood page balances crisis and resilience: smokestacks and solar panels, flooded basements and community gardens, youth organizing on TikTok and marching downtown.