Kay Berkson — connecting communities through art and culture.

Kay Berkson, daughter of Howard Landau, a real estate developer and philanthropist, discovered an innovative way to connect diverse communities through art and culture. Through the Changing Worlds Organization, a Chicago-based nonprofit, Kay promotes the use of oral history, writing and the arts to help students and their families explore their heritage and build tolerance towards others.

A decade ago, Kay helped 14 families carry out an impressive photography and oral history project documenting their trials and tribulations and their remarkable strength as immigrant and refugee families. Students were encouraged to share the story of their journey to the United States, and discuss what they missed about their homeland. Verbalizing these thoughts helped the students affirm their own cultural identity as well as feel more connected to their peers from other parts of the world, who may have encountered similar obstacles.

The result of this early effort was an exhibit of the stories and pictures, along with maps showing the families’ journeys. The exhibit, now translated into 16 languages, is the educational centerpiece of the organization and travels to schools and businesses across Chicago to help people create connections across cultures.

When people come to the exhibit, they often find connections they never expected. A woman from Eritrea was extremely moved by the story of a Bosnian family whose experience, she felt, was “so much like ours”. Others come away from the exhibit with questions they would like to ask their immigrant grandparents or their African American elders who migrated to Chicago from the rural south. As we all learn about our differences, we also discover how much we have in common.

As the organization reaches out to the greater community, it hasn’t lost sight of the classroom. It has established in-depth partnerships in six schools, and has held professional development workshops for more than 250 teachers.

Because of its success, Changing Worlds is growing. The organization’s first executive director, Mark Rodriguez, is raising the level of awareness about the organization, increasing the number of school partnerships, and offering more opportunities for innovative teacher professional development.

Berkson’s vision for an organization that would change the way teachers teach, students learn and how communities address diversity is coming to fruition. Last year alone Changing Worlds programs impacted over 15,000 Chicago area residents.

There are many ways to get involved. Visit http://www.changingworlds.org/, or contact Executive Director, Mark Rodriguez at mrodriguez@changingworlds.org.