By: Ashmar Mandou

Representatives from Journey for Justice Alliance, Grassroots Education Movement, Northside Action for Justice, and Kenwood Oakland Community Organization led a press conference Wednesday morning at City Hall to oppose the privatization and loss of community schools in neighborhoods that have affected the lives of mostly black and Latino children. The #WECHOOSE campaign and the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) have formed a coalition of community and labor groups in the city of Chicago organizing for equity in public education. GEM is a member of #WECHOOSE, which, in more than 30 cities across the United States, is actively resisting school privatization, building local coalitions to finally win equity as mandated by the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision. The coalition is calling for a moratorium on school privatization and demanding that CPS live up to its agreement, codified in its contract with the Chicago Teachers Union, to identify and fund 22 existing community schools turning them into sustainable public schools. Following a news conference, coalition members will participate in the public comment portion of the City Council meeting. While the CPS has recognized the need for sustainable community schools its leadership has stalled and dissembled in meetings to implement their commitment. The disruption campaign will spur the city and CPS to live up to their commitments. The #WECHOOSE campaign has a vision for CPS as a sustainable public schools district:

• Invest in Community Schools
• Equal Education for All Students
• Decriminalize Students using Restorative Justice Methods
• Include Parent & Teacher Voices in Decision making
• Ensure Students have Essential Support Services to Progress in School
• Emphasize Teaching versus High-Stakes

#WeChoose national campaign includes: Network for Public Education, BadAss Teachers Association, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, The Advancement Project, the Education Justice Network, Alliance for Education, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, Dignity in Schools Campaign, Save Our Schools, Institute for Democratic Education in America and Journey for Justice Alliance, whose combined membership represents millions of Americans. For more information go to www.j4jalliance.com.