I grew up in a pre-dominantly Hispanic neighborhood, called Little Village in Chicago. The homes in Little Village are mainly brownstone and our block was on 26th and Sawyer. My parents rented the 2nd floor space of the home owned by my grandmother we called, ‘Ma’. Our brownstone home had a long crooked staircase in the front door where I used to sit, watch and observe people in the neighborhood. One of the many activities I used to do was read and color on that staircase. I would also pretend I was a teacher while reading stories to the kids on my block.
