Englewood center of second day of South Side march
The day was long and very hot and the lack of a cool breeze off the lake as promised did not spoil the will for the one hundred fifty concerned parents, students, teachers, paras, and clinicians to let it be known that the proposed school closings will not happen without a fight. The second day of the Chicago marches against the school closings had begun.
There was a rally to kindle the excitement and hit the pavement in the “notorious” Englewood community. As the march went on, there was notice of a neighborhood in desperate need of investment and security. Closing schools in that part of Chicago would basically signal the end of a neighborhood that has had a history of neglect and crime. One was reminded of the long history of the community, of Lorraine Hansberry and so many others who had written about it.
But someone had let the community decline. The buildings surrounding the marchers were captivating and well built; who would abandon such a place? Many blocks were left with just one to two houses, as nature had reclaimed most of the areas surrounding the homes.
The crowd of marchers went on although it seemed that the residents were hiding, but the reality of Englewood was made more prevalent as we saw almost nothing that would resemble a neighborhood. How cruel would it be to close down the only resource for the children living in total obscurity. The school is a place where children can meet friends, become active members of the community, and most of all, perhaps to find the innovation to come back to Englewood to rebuild it to become a safe haven for the next generation of children.
The Chicago Teachers Union - led march included stops at schools targeted for closing. The first school was Benjamin Banneker public school. CTU president Karen Lewis met us there along with parents, teachers and student. Brian, a rather bright student and product of Englewood education, was delightful and offered to those listening two words, “one more.” His words were thoughtful as he spoke of "one more child to save...", one more school to remain opened, one more to take a stand for Englewood. He voiced his concerns about the mayor wanting to spend millions for a private college and nothing on traditional pubic school to stay opened. And as his voice was discerning, the crowd cheered in agreement.
The march continued along the streets with no police escorts or anyone threatening the concerned citizens. The next stop was Granville T. Woods elementary, where we met a very lively teacher who encouraged by-standers to join the march to save their schools. There we heard from a group of beautiful children with a small presentation they had for us. They were with their parents who wanted to express their concerns for the safety of their little ones crossing over into danger to try to get an education.
One of the parents came to me as I was taking notes and wanted to give credit to the small churches that were supporting the marchers. She asked an interesting question about Rev. James Meeks and why we haven’t heard from him lately. Meeks, whose church, the so-called "House of Hope", is one of the largest in the Chicago area, was not popular on this march.
“I don’t trust the mega churches," She said, "since it seems they are in the pockets of the mayor of the city of Chicago." I asked her if she of any more pastors who were working with the city. She immediately came up with one name after another of these “men of God” who have betrayed a trust put in them by the same parents who will be affected by the school closings.
But not all the churches betray their community and the least of their brethren. The doors of one such small church, was opened for the marchers to rest, drink water and to use the facilities. The pastor was greeted warmly as he led in prayer for the success of the CTU and the marchers.
Karen Lewis spoke briefly and told us of a young man she talked with. He requested a few signs to hang from his window, not just for himself but for the shops in the neighborhood. She mentioned what I believe most marchers were thinking. She said that by closing these schools and leaving the children behind will make a greater determination on which this neighborhood will belong to.
As we looked around, I could not see such valuable land being in a state of misuse for long. Diana Roberts, a parent and a member of Action Now, stated that she had never seen Englewood in such a condition. As many parents looked on from their windows and cars, they seemed happy to see the marchers. They heard the news that there was going to be a three-day march, and many hoped to see them pass their homes. There were a few more stops to go and as the sun beamed down on us, the spirit became just as bright after lunch as the marcher went forward to spread the message that we can fight City Hall and Chicago Public Schools.
