Over pan y cafecito (bread and coffee), Latino community members gathered at the Evanston History Center on Wednesday, July 29, for a bilingual storytelling event that put personal narratives at the center of the city's recorded history.

The free event, "Nuestras Historias en Evanston / Our Stories in Evanston," was co-presented by the Evanston History Center and Evanston Latinos, the community-led nonprofit that had grown to more than 1,000 members as of June 2025, according to the Evanston Roundtable. The program featured two scheduled speakers: Paula Cofresi-Silverstein, author of the memoir Bomba Spirit, and Celia Carlino, a bilingual family engagement advocate.

Cofresi-Silverstein was born in Puerto Rico and raised there and in New York City. She studied Fine Arts and Arts Education at Inter American University in San Germán, Puerto Rico, and later attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her memoir chronicles her journey navigating immigration, cultural identity, and spiritual growth. The book is available at the Evanston Public Library.

According to the event program, the evening also included live music and an open invitation for attendees to share their own stories. English and Spanish translation was available throughout.

The gathering was part of "Home: Evanston," a series the History Center describes as an exploration of what it means to make a home, and feel at home, in Evanston. It took place at the Dawes House, 225 Greenwood St., through the center's Talks@EHC discussion series, which regularly partners with community organizations.

The event comes at a moment of growth for Evanston's Latino population. U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey shows Hispanic or Latino residents make up 12.3% of the city's population, approximately 9,408 people out of an estimated 76,380 total residents. That share has risen from 11.2% at the time of the 2020 Census, according to demographic analysis site CensusDots.

Evanston Latinos, led by executive director Rebeca Mendoza, was founded in April 2020 during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It started with 300 members.

Admission was free, with a suggested $10 donation to support ongoing public programming at the History Center. The "Home: Evanston" series continues, though no next date has been announced.