I don’t know how many times I’ve taken a ride down Lake Shore Drive and just had to take the same picture of the skyline or the sun rising/setting over the lake. Still rolling along, the extravagant high-rises, vibrancy of downtown and visions of people enjoying what Chicago has to offer makes you feel like you are really a part…
Category: Real Stories
Your High School Students Still Need Your Attendance And Participation
Your high school students still need your attendance and participation. Most adults tend to believe once their children attend high school they are home free. We tend to spend less time at school meetings and report card conferences. We no longer check homework or ask how their day went. There are times when you may feel like your child is…
BLACK LIVES MATTER, EXCEPT WHEN THEY ENROLL IN CHARTER SCHOOLS
The NAACP made news last week when it called for a moratorium on public charter schools, while a coalition of over 50 other groups called the Movement For Black Lives proposed “An End to the Privatization of Education.” In effect this would mean an end to charter schools that today serve millions of low-income children of color. In doing so these groups, one…
They Must Have Forgotten About Us… Again
A little over a week ago, CPS laid off 1,000 employees—half of those were teachers. Today, in doing my daily Facebook rounds, I learned that there is an upcoming hiring fair in which CPS plans to hire 1,000 teachers. What kind of game is the district playing? Additionally, there will be public hearings in which parents can come and voice…
7 Rules for Radical Parents to Demand Great Education
My (almost) 5-year-old is super excited about September 12th. That’s the day when she and her 3-year-old brother will start their fall schedule as homeschool students. As we enter into another “Back to School” season, my heart is breaking for the thousands of families across Chicago that do not have that same sense of certainty about when school is going…
Because the Civil Rights Movement Wasn’t Just a March…
I’m probably going to piss some people off with this post but it’s a risk I’m willing to take because I’m here to tell you that…marches are not movements. Selma didn’t just happen, ya know. Fresh in people’s minds is Bloody Sunday when hundreds of civil rights activists were terrorized and brutalized by Alabama law enforcement while marching through…
Protesting Does NOTHING: Mike Brown 2 Years Later
I’m tired of marching. First, let me be clear that I have nothing but appreciation for my ancestors who marched and paved the way for change. This has NOTHING to do with them. But in the words of today’s conscious activist’s, “This ain’t yo mama Civil Rights Movement”. I couldn’t agree more. Today is the 2 year anniversary of the…
Killing Black Children on The Front End and On the Back
Two major news announcements were made in Chicago on Friday. And I find a striking and sickening parallel between them. The first piece of buried news was the release of the available video of the shooting of an unarmed, 18-year-old Black “man” last week at the hands of a Chicago Police officer. The second was the announcement that 480 Chicago…