True Social Justice & Racial Equity Is Hard Work
by ShaRhonda Knott-Dawson Are you planning to use GoCPS to apply for your child’s elementary school for next year? Well, buckle up, because it’s not easy. The process of choosing schools, applying, and enrolling your child in the Chicago Public Schools is daunting for even the most seasoned of parents. As […]
December 15, 2018 As we get closer to Election Day, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times will be full of analysis about the election and their “expert” opinions on candidates. It will be primarily fear and propaganda. They will try their best to scare everyone into thinking Chicago will fall […]
Three-term Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced today, September 4, 2018, at 10:00am that he will NOT be running for re-election! (me, ShaRhonda, after confirming story) Okay, I am trying to figure out the right analogy to express how big this is… -remember in the Wizard of Oz and they killed […]
As a parent of a daughter with a disability, I feel like I am in a perpetual state of learning tips from the “experts.” Having a child with special needs means I am always trying to do the right thing for her. But summer break is extra hard. During the […]
Father’s Day is a day to celebrate all the wonderful fathers in the world. However, for Black people, Father’s Day has too often turned into a day to discuss all the dysfunction with Black men—especially a lack of Black fathers. President Obama, Bill Cosby and other Black leaders often preach […]
My younger daughter is one of the greatest joys of my life. She is full of energy, gives great cuddles and has a fantastic imagination, often involving her Marvel friends Black Widow and Captain America. She also has disabilities. It has been a long, uphill battle to make sure she […]
Dear White Elementary and High School Administrators: Did you see what happened at the University of Florida’s graduation ceremony on Saturday? Did you see that White usher pushing Black graduates off the stage? Please, don’t be that guy. As we approach graduation season, can we have a tough, but honest, […]
Rich, mostly White homeowners are officially on welfare. I know. I was as surprised as you are. But millions of affluent homeowners filed their taxes this week and took advantage of changes to the home mortgage interest deduction. And this popular deduction is basically a form of welfare. In fact, […]
There’s danger in the singular Michelle Obama Black girl role-model narrative. There has been a beautiful picture circulating of a young African-American girl looking up in awe at Michelle Obama’s portrait. In her official first lady portrait, Michelle is gorgeous, regal and no doubt inspiring. Michelle is amazing and she […]
This post was inspired by a Nayyirah Waheed poem, “African American II,” from her book “Salt.” In the 1400s, Europeans first arrived to my Mother Africa’s house. My Mother Africa’s house was, and still is, rich and full of treasures like gold, diamonds, copper, aluminum, petroleum and many other resources. People who […]