Author: Tanesha Peeples

South Side community leader Tanesha Peeples is a Chicago Public Schools alumna and proud Englewoodian. She currently serves on the board of the Montessori School of Englewood. Formerly, she served the Deputy Director of Outreach for Education Post, for whom she penned the long-running column Hope and Outrage. As an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University, Tanesha began to develop a passion for and understand the importance of public service. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration, she returned to Chicago with a new perspective on community, politics and civic engagement. Tanesha then attended and graduated from DePaul University with a master’s degree in public service management and urban planning and development. Throughout her professional career, Tanesha has used her education, passion and experience to navigate a number of nonprofit, political and independent ventures, advancing her mission to educate and empower marginalized populations. Prior to joining Education Post, she also managed her own consulting firm specializing in community relations. Tanesha’s vision is one where everyone—regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender or zip code—can have access to a comfortable quality of life and enjoy the freedoms and liberties promised to all Americans. Find her on Twitter at @PeeplesChoice85.

Why Are Black Families Leaving Chicago? Maybe Our Kids Can’t Wait for Better Schools.

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My hometown of Chicago has touted itself as a progressive city for many years. We’ve stood firm in our position as a sanctuary city and recently moved towards the legalization of marijuana—pushing a social equity initiative to ensure people in blighted areas have skin in the weed game. We even formed a progressive caucus within the city council in 2013. We also received national…

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Our Kids Can’t Wait Till You Show Up for Them on Tuesday Night

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Chicago, our kids can’t wait–and we’re not going to make them wait anymore, either.  Our kids can no longer wait on our city’s leadership or Chicago Public Schools to figure out how to close the opportunity gaps that exist between Black, Latino and White students. I recently wrote about brightbeam’s report, “The Secret Shame: How America’s Most Progressive Cities Betray…

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Chicago, It’s on All of Us to Close the Gaps for Black and Brown Children

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Enough is enough. I’m kicking off 2020 with less talk and more action.  I need all concerned Chicagoans on deck at the Our Kids Can’t Wait: Education Town Hall on February 25. Our Black and Brown students are in crisis, and the only way we’ll make real progress is if the whole community unifies and puts pressure on our leaders…

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We Have to Get Education Right for Black Students and Families in 2020

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Y’all, it’s the year 2020. There’s no reason why only 15% of Black eighth graders are reading with proficiency. There’s no excuse as to why Black kids have the lowest national averages in math. And there’s no reason why their talents should be undermined and thrown away because of the color of their skin or where they live.

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Will You Still Care About Our Kids When the Teachers’ Strike Ends?

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My friend and esteemed colleague, Chris Stewart, often asks, “How are the children?” Well, according to Jasmine Lane’s tweet thread asking rhetorical questions like, “How many futures have been derailed because instead of standing up for and protecting the education of our most vulnerable, we were busy coddling a grown-up’s feelings?” we can assume that they are not ok. In…

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We Can Support Our Teachers and Still Call B.S. On This Chicago Strike

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You know what? It’s a real shame that people can’t seem to separate politics from public service. Because if one more person comes on one of my social media pages trying to argue down my stance on this latest Chicago Teachers Union strike, I might be compelled to pop off. Here’s what’s going on.  The CTU is on strike over contractual demands…

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