The historic closings of over 50 schools left a gaping void in a plethora of neighborhoods in Chicago—2013 was the year of active protest against school shutdowns that primarily affected Black and Brown communities. The Chicago Beat (a branch of Young Chicago Authors) began a journalism project in conjunction with several youths in the city over a year ago, in which they sought to collect oral stories from residents in communities affected by the closings. The result of the project was the publication of 50 and Counting: Freedom in Education; in addition to oral testimonies, the book includes poems and personal reflections. What the young journalists discovered in their research and interviews was how deeply rooted the schools were, the danger of students attending schools in rival gang neighborhoods, the fallacies of “underutilization” and that very often the receiving schools students were sent to were doing just as poorly as the schools that were being shut down. They emphasized the importance of education was to the areas that were a part of the closing sweep.
One student named Nita spoke passionately about what she would do about school closings if she were mayor of the city as opposed to Rahm Emmanuel. “If I had to close the schools, I would turn them into an enrichment place, like a youth center, or an organization where kids could be themselves, and better themselves in the communities that they are shutting down,” she stated at the book’s release event. “Why would you shut them down in the communities where school is important? Education is important; we need to be educated.” 50 and Counting: Freedom in Education is out now—cop that.
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For me, Women's History Month isn't simply time to remember the names of mainstream cis white women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It's a pertinent time to note radical women who are often overlooked for their contribution to social justice revolutionary struggles. From Ferguson to Chicago, Black, Brown, transgender, queer women and femmes are at the forefront of political analysis, revolutionary organizing, petitions, rallies, and holding it down for their communities while also working as teachers, artists, writers, cooks, and students. Last night, We Charge Genocide, an intergenerational organization effort to center the experiences of young people most targeted by police violence, hosted their second annual event, "Women to Celebrate", at Village Leadership Academy on Chicago's West Side. The event, started by Mariame Kaba of Project Nia, emphasizes the extraordinary contributions that women in radical spaces made in the past year. Among the honorees were 12-year old Jakaya Hobbs, (a student at Village Leadership Academy who organized the Reclaim MLK March on Martin Luther King's birthday), Charlene Carruthers, (National Director of Black Youth Project), Fresh Robinson (a self-identified poly-dyke who has opened a community cafe in Chicago), and Sara Gonzalez (Latina organizer for prison abolition in Pilsen). The event ended with an Assata Shakur affirmation, "It is our duty to fight. It is a our duty to win, We must love each other and protect each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains." Ashe. All the way from the DMV, Teem Coolin came through to step on the MicFest stage. Fellow DMV native Allie Lyke gave them a warm ATS Mag welcome and had a chance to meet with them after the show. Watch the video and learn how to get an abundance of cool from Teem Coolin. |
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ATS MagAgainst the Stream Magazine is an urban platform. We edify our readers by finding noble, pure, and true talent and giving it a stage to flourish. While we love bragging about the folks around us, we also tackle urban issues by giving real world solutions. Archives
September 2015
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