True Social Justice & Racial Equity Is Hard Work
To all members of the GLBTQ community: I want to apologize and make you a promise. Although some people will say it is silly for one person to apologize for an entire community, I disagree. I think if you are a part of a community that is doing hateful, discriminatory […]
A growing number of people are outraged by our current immigration debacle involving refugees on the southern border of the United States: children in concentration camps and denied basic services, like blankets and soap. Many folks so outraged see inhumanity not only in the treatment of refugees upon arrival, but also […]
I understand and respect those that don’t celebrate the 4th of July. I am aware that on July 4, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was written, I, not my race, not my sex, not my economic class, were the intended beneficiaries. However, for me, July 4, 1776, was the […]
Nationwide, health coverage for autism-related services is seriously lacking. In my home state of Illinois, advocates are pushing newly elected Governor Pritzker to expand Medicaid coverage for early intervention therapies for children with autism. Research shows that early intervention can make a remarkable difference in children’s academic outcomes. This was also the case in […]
When I realized my younger daughter was disabled, my belief in what was possible for her life changed. As her parent, I had to focus on her needs and didn’t have time to focus on her wants. In my head, her wants came second to meeting her needs, and that […]
The question must be asked: What do we have to do to get school districts to follow the law and give students who are disabled the services they are legally entitled to receive? I’ll give you an example. Chicago Public Schools was illegally limiting access to special education services in an […]
Dear Black Folks: We need to have a hard, honest, but real conversation. We have a race problem in the social service sector, a lack of Black ran organizations, leaders, and Black created policies. Right now, we have White folks (well-intentioned, I am sure) but White people, who have professionalized […]
Reflections on worshiping “God the Father” for the fatherless children: Today is Father’s Day and it is one of the hardest days of the year for me. My father was mostly absent. When he was present, he was still not “fatherly.” I’ve done a lot of work, personally and with […]
As a racial scholar and advocate, with an interest in White liberal northern racism, I’ve been closely following the racial equity “vision statement” conversation with Oak Park Village Board. First it’s amazing that there is this much struggle over A VISION STATEMENT! It’s just words! There is literally nothing actually […]
Registration is now open for the pilot class of Black School! This will be for ages 8-12. The program will run from July 15th-July 19th at Schroder Park in Broadview, IL. Only 15 students will be admitted! All students are accepted regardless of their ability to pay. However, if you […]