Four years ago the Founding President of CAUSE _ Chicago Alliance of Urban School Educators, Rosita Chatonda met with Reverend Jesse Jackson to discuss the mass firings of African American Educators and high student expulsion rate. Annually since the year 2000, African American students at teachers were loosing 1.7 to 2.0 percent of their population according to the Illinois Board of Education.
Since the 2008-9 we have been working with PUSH and organizing a small group of teachers to PUSH an initiative forward to bring attention to the unfair racially charged practices that are happening in at CPS. In 2010 Mrs. Chatonda met the Caucus of Rank and File Educators whose co-chair Karen Lewis wanted to run for President of the CTU. Mrs. Chatonda volunteered to become the South-Side organize for CORE during the CTU election and began to forge a relationship between CORE and PUSH. Initially CORE was reluctant to work with the PUSH coalition.
As, we all know Karen Lewis won the election due to an enormous organizing effort by CORE.
IN addition, Mrs. Chatonda created the "Displaced Teacher Forum " and met a Operation PUSH for 3 years with teachers who had lost their jobs. Reverend Jackson indicated that if we could organize teachers that he would step forward and help bring attention to our plight. Last week, Reverend Jackson attended the Board of Education meeting and put CPS and the country on notice that we will no longer look the other way as our communities are being undermined by CPS. He also labeled the practice of racially profiling our community, students and teachers as EDUCATIONAL "APARTHEID" This initiative has become nationally recognized.
At the last hour and under extreme pressure from CAUSE, the Chicago Teachers Union has joined in on this initiative. This is why it is important to have an organization like CAUSE to continue to put pressure on CPS, CTU and other organizations that make their money off the backs of African American Students and Teachers.
Join CAUSE: Meeting Every Tuesday at Operation PUSH 5:00 - 7:00
Next meeting Today February 28, 2012
http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2011.03/PT.2011.03.08.shtml
Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 7:30 a.m. while exiting the bus approaching metal detectors and pat-down, a 17 year-old student killed, and one student critically injured trying to stop the killing at AMIKids alternative school privatizers awarded contracts under Chicago and Illinois failed inner-city at-risk minority student public school reform.
ReplyDeleteWe must take back our traditional and neighborhood schools from Florida privatizers that do not implement the required behavioral interventions to stop the violence escalating that leads to homicide.
The Florida Governor was one of the first to write and support legislation to eradicate teacher tenure rights as he proposed that teachers teach three 5 year terms and that would be the end of their teaching career. Now we have Florida's AMIKids contractors (funding with veteran and teachers laid-off teacher's salary, benefits, and pension) and Portland, Oregon Stand For Children unfounded underperforming charters eradicating our traditional and neighborhood schools.
Native Chicagons and devoted Educators (formal/informal) stand for justice. Jesse Jackson, Sr. will march. Rev. Jackson says to stop "Education Apartheid" like the Little Rock 9 in 1957. I say, "Stop Colonization" and "Stop Closed Society" tactics in Chicago. Chicago, Illinois you must come together or you are the designated "Capital of Privatizers."
This unfounded radical school reform has cost parents their children's future and opportunity to reach their full God given potential. Native Chicagoans and devoted Educators save our schools and our children's lives. March with Jesse Jackson, Sr. at PUSH. Google PUSH and contact for marches.
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