By Rebeca Nieves Huffman, DFER Illinois State Director
Racism! Apartheid! Lawsuits! That’s what we’ve been hearing from Rev. Jackson and the Chicago Teacher’s Union (CTU) these days since the school board’s unanimous decision on February 22nd to close 7 schools, and stage “turnaround” for 10 schools – all of which have been chronically underperforming. When I say, chronically underperforming, we are talking about a state of emergency for the future of our kids. For example, the highest percentage of proficiency reached in reading and math at Dyett High School over the course of five years was only 8%; their lowest point over the last five years – 2%.
We can all agree that our experiences form our perspectives. Given all Rev. Jackson has seen and experienced it’s no wonder he is concerned with fighting injustice and inequality. In this case, however, I don’t understand why he would oppose an immediate rescue for the impacted students, and instead recommend delaying the school board’s decision for another year. Our children cannot – should not – wait any longer to receive the education and opportunities they deserve.
Sitting in that school board meeting and hearing Rev. Jackson say that the leadership at the Chicago Public Schools was instituting a system of apartheid was the icing on the cake. The majority of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) board members are people of color who have worked alongside Rev. Jackson and other civil rights leaders to address some of the most pressing problems affecting our city’s Latino and African-American communities. I believe they took those experiences into account when they made their decisions to shut down and turnaround the severely underperforming schools. As a Latina, it gives me great pride to see people who look like me at the table of decision and leadership.