Enough is Enough: Chicago activists protest ‘school desert’ in neighborhood
Activists in Chicago’s Bronzeville community are tired of losing schools in the district. After plans by Chicago Public Schools to close more than 50 schools in the city went into effect, residents and community members are saying that enough is enough.
They are fighting to keep Dyett High School, the neighborhood’s last CPS high school open.
Late last month organizers with the new Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School launched a campaign to persuade Chicago Public Schools to listen to the community’s plans to hold on to the neighborhood public school. […] “If Dyett leaves, we wouldn’t have no neighborhood high school where students can go,” says Diamond McCullough, a 17-year-old senior at the school who’s joined the campaign.
Activists have been referring to the issue as a potential “school desert,” borrowing lingo from food justice advocates who often refer to the lack of healthy food options in low-income communities as “food deserts.”
Last week, CPS officials announced that the district would not close any more schools this coming year.
Thoughts on the school closings?
Are CPS officials missing the mark by leaving communities with fewer options? Or is a fresh start just what the city’s public school system needs?
Sound off below!
