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.

We Can Teach Black and LGBTQ History at the Same Time. In Fact, We Should.

My social media feeds were drenched with homophobia this week. People were saying how they really felt about my state, Illinois, joining other states mandating the teaching of LGBTQ history in schools.  And ignorance about the required teaching of African American history in schools made me feel like I was drowning in idiocy and hypocrisy. Hateful and disgusting questions infuriated me—like Fred Williams’ question…

Englewood STEM Mural

Fernwood Elementary: A Hidden Gem in Washington Heights

We have the impression that many schools on the South Side of Chicago are trash, when in actuality, there are some amazing schools in our communities doing amazing things. Fernwood Elementary School in the Washington Heights neighborhood is one of them. I recently had the opportunity to tour the Level 1+, predominantly Black and low-income school and speak with the…

Butler College Prep Cultivates Black Excellence, Prepares Grads for HBCUs

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) offer Black and first-generation college students a uniquely affordable and supportive environment. But not every high school makes deliberate efforts to ensure its students know about these college options. That’s not the case atButler College Prep, a Noble Network high school in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood. Butler takes college preparation to the next level by…

Black Communities Everywhere Should Be Stepping Up Like This for Our Kids and Schools

Outrage: “Whites Only” Seats The Connecticut Supreme Court made a ruling in Sheff v. O’Neill that was supposed to integrate schools. Instead, it capped the number of students of color who can enroll at magnet schools, saying that 25 percent of each school’s seats must be occupied by White students. And while some of those magnet schools are holding seats…

Vic Mensa Is Looking Out for Our Kids Better Than the Police

Vic Mensa for the m’fn win! This weekend, he hosted the Anti-Bait Truck event in West Englewood in response to the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Norfolk Southern’s attempt to bait people in that community into stealing gym shoes. This Sunday my foundation @savemoneysavelife is giving away THOUSANDS of shoes on a Anti-Bait Truck in Englewood on 2050 W 59th…