Name of interviewer: Xóchitl Bada Date of Interview: March 30, 2016 Location: Chicago, IL Interview Language: Spanish
Ascención (Chon) Salinas was born in 1957 in Atolinga, Zacatecas, Mexico. He has lived during 35 years in the neighborhood of Bucktown in Chicago. Married in 1978, he sent four children to college and all of them now hold professional jobs in the city of Chicago. Since 1986, he has been the owner of three restaurants of Mexican food in Chicago. Before starting his own business, Ascención worked at a metallurgic factory for 10 months. Due to economic pressures, Ascención only finished five years of elementary schooling in Atolinga. Upon his arrival to Chicago, he prepared to obtain his GED and studied English as a second language at Truman College in Chicago, Illinois. He completed some courses for an Associate Degree in Business Administration at Harold Washington Community College but was not able to graduate. In early 1990, Ascención and his family founded the Club Atolinga with a group of families who frequently visited Chicago´s Horner Park on W Irving Park Road and W California Avenue. The Club’s initial purpose was collecting funds to offer economic assistance to people from Atolinga, and also promoting Atolinga’s culture in Chicago. Club Atolinga has funded multiple projects including the improvement of public squares, sports centers, new urban works, and local schools in Atolinga.
