Fourteen schools have closed or will soon close in many of Chicago’s predominantly black and Latinx neighborhoods across the West Side. Schools and communities on the West Side have created alternative and progressive models of education in response. What are the ways in which educators and activists are working to change education policies and practices in Chicago?  Panelists will explore this as we discuss divestment from neighborhood schools, the de-population of schools, the importance of organizing work in education, and the history of community-based activism on the West Side. 

Dr. Elizabeth Todd-Breland, UIC Department of History, will lead a panel including Fatima Cooke, Principal of Charles Sumner Math & Science Academy, Dr. Gabriel Cortez, Associate Professor of Literacy, Leadership and Development, Northeastern Illinois University, Carolina Gaete-Tapia, Co-Director of Blocks Together, and Tammie Vinson, Special Education Teacher and Chair of AFT Black Caucus Chicago.