root knowledge root knowledge

ROOT KNOWLEDGEROOT KNOWLEDGE

A Citywide Grassroots Journal by Students, Parents & Educators

INVITATIONFOR SUBMISSIONSRoot Knowledge student

editors invite youth, parents

& educators to submit writing,

art, photos, ideas, etc.

We’re concerned with critical

issues in education and

systemic analysis of issues in

our communities.

C G C T C o n t a c t

Email us at:

[email protected]

Call us at:

773.275.2428

Friend us on

Facebook/Chicago Grassroots

Curriculum Taskforce

Tweet us at:

#the_cgct

Send mail to:

CGCT, 4554 N. Broadway,

Chicago, Il., 60640, ste 326

FREE(donation accepted)

QuarterlyDec ‘14—Feb ‘15

In This IssueClassroom Testimonies 4

Chicago Student Union 5

Community Tours 6

CGCT In Action 7

Real World Economics 9

Immigration Struggles 10

Critical Art Reviews 12-13

and more...

Students Launch Root Knowledge: Shed Light on “Bogus” Curriculum and Demand Relevance

Should students, families and communities have a right to help decide what, how, and why children learn in schools? When Columbus and other “explorers” are presented as heroes (which still happens - see below), should teach-ers be checked for miseducating and brain-washing innocent children? When students con-tinually define their formal learning as “test-based”, “boring”, “irrelevant”, “useless”, and “white-washed”, and many grow to “hate” read-ing, writing, math, science, and/or history, what needs to change?

With support from Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce, we’ve decided to launch Root Knowledge, a student, parent, and educator-based publication led by students from grades k to college, to expose and address these and other problems in curricu-lum. In addition, we’ll present issues of concern in our communities and around the globe we think should be taught more in our classrooms with hopes that we can make learning more relevant for all students.

“I want Root Knowledge to encourage students to think about their learning and curriculum. I want the curriculum in classrooms to apply

to real situations so youth around Chicago can realize that learning can be improved. It’s not this set thing that CPS dictates. I want to inspire others to care about and change what’s being taught”, says Jada Yolich, a 9th grader at Lane Tech High School and RK’s Managing Editor in-training.

The Root Knowledge editorial team is asking classroom teachers and youth groups across

Chicagoland to utilize this quar-terly journal as a regular learning tool. Teachers and youth groups are asked to encourage their stu-dents to study and analyze RK while encouraging submissions of articles, essays, reviews, pho-tography, art, and other forms of

research such as info. graphics for publication. The editorial team will review all submissions and publish selected pieces on our forthcoming CGCT webpage or here in print.

Pedro Gonzalez, a 12th grader from Prosser Career Academy, student rep. on CGCT’s Board of Directors, and RK editorial member, says, “I hope this newsletter leads to people reconsider-ing the current curriculum as sufficient enough for our students. The curriculum should not

By the Root Knowledge (RK) editorial team

“I want to inspire

others to care about

and change what’s

being taught.”

“Stay tuned as Root Knowledge launches investiga-tions into...bogus curricula…”

Quest ions to Ponder: What does relevant learning look l ike?

Why are most school textbooks so Eurocentr ic?

Why should we study our own ci ty and communit ies?

How can the curr iculum better ref lect students’ l ives and cul tures?

Who should have the r ight to determine what, how and why chi ldren learn?

Meet the Editors

Anton MigliettaResearch Support

Cinthya RodriguezCurriculum Issues

Allende MigliettaEnvironmental issues

Jada YolichManaging Editor

2

Jaime CamargoSocial Analysis

Lucero SegundoCritical Arts Review

Pedro GonzalezImmigration Issues

Juan RamirezEconomic Issues

only be relevant, but useful, not just a bunch of facts to be memorized for a standardized test.”

Gonzalez continues, “the feeling that I can be part of this change for the better is what pushes me to be involved. I hope students get more involved to ensure current and future genera-tions can help shape the best education. The only way its going to change is if we keep push-ing, even if it takes a long time, which it prob-ably will.”

Root Knowledge is responding directly to a learning crisis exposed by over 1300 people informally surveyed by CGCT over four years, including us. Respondents, most of whom are recent and current Chicago public school stu-dents, have repeatedly described formal school curriculum/learning with overwhelmingly

negative responses. The top 25 responses, listed below, comprise over 97% of all responses when asked the following ques-tion, “what words or phrases come to mind to describe your curriculum and learning in school from k - 12?” They are:

test-driven

standardized

traditional

core subjects

lacking creativity

lacking relevance

anxiety-inducing

lecture / teacher-based

dumbed-down

white-washed

not related toreal world

Eurocentric

patriotic

rote memorization

tracking

sorting

one size fits all

overly low or high expectations

assimilating

punitive

authoritative

old books and materials

individualistic

competitive

boring (most repeated)

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Recounts Dr. Isaura Pulido, professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies at Northeastern Illinois University, “Its shocking how consistent the comments are each semes-ter and revealing of how you can take students who’ve attended diverse schools and yet they come up with the same terms each time. It shows the extent of their miseducation.” Over 360 of the survey’s respondents were students in Pulido’s Educational Foundations 305 course.

What current classroom example exemplifies the crisis we face? The following situation is typical: Aryanah, a fifth grader at Courtenay Elementary School in Uptown, was asked about her learning and curriculum. When asked, “what important things do you think you should be learning more about in school?” Aryanah said, “math and reading.” When asked what real topics, not just academic subjects, are impor-tant to learn more about, she said, “decimals and fractions.” When asked, what issues or topics in the real world are important to study, like actual problems and actual things you care about, she said innocently, “you’re confusing me.”

After a few more questions to help Aryanah reflect on what’s learned in school and what she finds important or interesting outside of school walls, she said, “maybe we should learn more about ending violence and creating peace in the world, including wars?”

Then Aryanah retrieved USA Studies Weekly (Vol. 12, Issue 1, 2014), a four page full color newspaper printed by American Legacy Publishing, Inc., with the title, “How it all began

in the ‘New World’” to show what she’s learning presently.

Even though the subtitle proclaims an empha-sis on “Ancient America to the Present”, this “bogus rag”, states Anton Miglietta, co-director of CGCT and longtime social studies teacher, “thoroughly brainwashes children to accept, support, and even honor murderers, enslav-ers, and European royalty without any critical thought and without any coverage of indig-enous peoples who were here for over ten thou-sand years.” Sadly, this series of materials, called Studies Weekly, is touted on their website as “America’s New Textbook” and is used in 21,000 schools throughout the United States. According to Studies Weekly, over 54 local classrooms subscribe to Studies Weekly in Chicago alone.

Stay tuned as Root Knowledge launches investigations into this and other “bogus” curricula (also see pg 4) as we present criti-cal perspectives from students, parents, and educators. We invite all voices to contribute testimonies, research, and ideas concerning what, how, and why we learn in school. q

Whose schools? Our schools! Whose learning? Our learning!

Survey Launch to Determine Our Critical Top Ten Lists

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) generates i ts recommended reading l is ts for teachers to fo l low. After review-ing these l is ts, CGCT observes a bias towards mass Americanizat ion and Eurocentr ic i ty. In fo l lowing these l is ts, students would learn very l i t t le, i f anything, about their own community, c i ty and real wor ld condi t ions.

In response, CGCT is launching a c i tywide survey to determine grassroots top ten l is ts of cr i t ical movies, songs, books, poems, and art p ieces that al l Chicago students should study by 12th grade. Please go to grassrootscurr iculum.org to complete the survey. Thank you!

Why Don’t We Learn Real Chicago History?

By Allende Miglietta, 8th grade, Kenwood Academy Academic Center During 7th grade, my social studies teacher, Mr.Blu, gave us a reading on “Chicago his-tory.” At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. We were studying Chicago and it’s “his-tory”, events of the past that mainstream society deems “important”. That evening, my dad asked me what we did in school.

“Well today Mr. Blu gave us a reading on Chicago history,” I told him. “What did you do with the reading?” “We had to read and annotate it and then we talked about our annotations.”“Can I see the reading?” “Sure,” I said as I pulled the reading out of my book bag.

As my dad read, I could hear him speaking to himself from the other room. “Wow, this is problematic,” I heard him say. I came running in, wondering what he meant. “What is it?” I asked him. “Look at this and tell me what you think,” he said pointing to a specific sentence. It read, “The menace of hos-tile Indians was ended by the defeat of Black Hawk in 1832...” “What does hostile mean?” I asked him while pointing at the text. “It means that someone is angry, violent, or aggres-sive towards someone else,” he said.

We read on, now more curi-ous than before. In addi-tion to describing the Native Americans this way, and not offering any positive mention of Native Americans at all, the reading also failed to mention Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, the founder of Chicago and a Haitian man of color. I’m half Haitian, so this has always meant a lot to learn about him. This reading, and the teach-ing of Mr. Blu, truly began to frustrate me. Then, to throw more dirt on people of color and lower-income families, the reading indirectly states that immigrants and lower-income people are “predisposed to vice and crime.” Yes, it says this!

As I re-read with a closer look, I noticed how it glorified white people (Europeans and their descen-dants) as the official builders of Chicago, completely ignoring the con-tributions of people of color. It talked about Cyrus McCormick and John Deere and how they helped out with Chicago’s industrial growth. Railroads, lumber, wheat, and trade were

repeatedly described, even to the point of offering numer-ous statistics about thousands of miles of railroads, but no mention of the actual founder of Chicago and the people who lived here for thousands of years?

To make matters worse, the article had no author, no title, and no citations. After my dad did some research, they found out, to my total sur-prise, that this article comes from the Illinois Secretary of State’s official website (http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teach-ing_packages/early_chicago/home.html) It’s still there!

This reading is extremely rac-ist and has one-sided and misleading information on Chicago’s history and peo-ple. This was very surprising because I would not consider Mr.Blu, a racist man. He was actually humble, he just need-ed some help teaching seventh grade children accurate histo-

ry. After my dad read the read-ing, he set up various m e e t i n g s with the p r i n c i p l e , Dr. Gold, and with my teacher, Mr.Blu. I

was there for one of them and heard the principal acknowl-edge that the reading is “prob-lematic”, but he didn’t go so far as to say it’s racist. I think it is.

continued on page 15

4

This is the first in series called Student Testimonials where students share their experi-ences with classroom curricu-lum and learning. Teacher’s actual names will not be given in this column, and teachers are not the target of concern, the curriculum is. This is an invitation for all to reflect on our educational experiences and make learning more relevant. Please send testi-mony for future publications.

Student Testimonials on Curriculum

“This reading... has one-sided and misleading information on Chicago’s history and people.”

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5

August 18, 2014: As nearly 100 students, teachers, and parents marched in front of Chicago Public Schools headquar-ters downtown, leaders of the Chicago Student Union (CSU) read their demands with pas-sion. The student group and its supporters are pushing for CPS to agree with terms they say will improve the quality of edu-cation in CPS.

Key demands include equal funding distri-bution and a democratically elected Board of Education, currently appointed by the mayor of Chicago. Their demands may grow louder with a recent investigation by the Chicago Tribune (November 10 and 11, front page), which details serious financial neg-ligence on behalf of CPS lead-ers and Illinois’ lawmakers totalling over $100 million in funds diverted from students to banks and law firms.

Currently, Mayor Rahm Emanuel decides who to appoint and what positions he wants them to fill on the Board of Ed. This has upset

Chicagoans concerned with the lack of democracy in pub-lic education leadership from groups like Communities Organized for Democracy in Education (CODE), Raise Your Hand, Chicago Teachers Union, Grassroots Education Movement (GEM), and the CSU, all of whom want to end may-

oral powers of appointment put into state law in 1995.

As for fund-ing, inequity comes into play through mostly one-sided use of

TIF Funds, says CSU student leader Ross Floyd. TIF stands for “Tax Increment Financing”. These are funds generated by the City of Chicago as early use of expected long-term proper-ty taxes that can immediately go to capital improvement projects in that neighborhood. Building new schools is a capi-tal project, and according to Ben Joravsky and Mick Dumke (The Reader newspaper), over 43% of all TIF funds between 2004 and 2008 have been spent in only three wards in and near downtown.

Additional funding problems, according to the recent Tribune investigation (Burden for Schools, Windfall for Banks, Gillers and Grotto, Nov. 10) , has exposed blatantly harm-ful CPS financial practices benefitting corporations such as Bank of America and the Royal Bank of Canada. It seems CPS “swapped” the futures of CPS students for quick fixes and corporate profits at a time when Black and Latino/a com-munities are suffering from inferior education, school clos-ings, lower quality facilities, and a lack of resources.

Recent CSU Updates: CSU is registering 500 CPS students to vote for the February mayoral elections. CSU believes that students are greatly underrep-resented in electoral politics and seeks to change that. The student group has also been working with state legislators to draft and pass a bill that would create a democrati-cally elected board of educa-tion. CSU continues its fight for funding equity and is working on creative and powerful direct action regarding TIF funds in the City of Chicago. Maybe the new CPS funding fiasco will add fuel to the fire? q

This column will cover student organizing efforts such as the Chicago Student Union. If you are aware of and/or involved in any student efforts to improve learning and educa-tion at your school, and you’d like to share your updates, concerns, and actions with us, please email Root Knowledge: [email protected]. Thank you! Chicago Student Union Seeks Equal Funding,

Elected School Board By Jada Yolich, Lane Tech High School, and Pedro Gonzalez, Prosser Career Academy

“The student group

has been working

with state legislators

to draft and pass a

bill...”

Demographics

Tour Sites

Stewart Warner Corporation1846 W. Diversey Pkwy.

Costco Wholesale2746 N. Clybourn Ave.

Lathrop Homes2000 W. Diversey Pkwy.

Cotter Boys and Girls Clubin Lathrop Homes

Hamlin Park3035 N. Hoyne Ave.

Schneider Elementary School2957 N. Hoyne Ave.

Ms. Marshall’s ClassroomAlcott College Prep School

Our Local CTA Bus StopsBelmont & Hoyne; Damen & Wellington

Population: 13,958

Income and HousingMedian Household Income: $92, 218Long-term resident (5 years): 23%Median Age: 33 yearsAverage Sold Price: $645, 171Average Rental Price: $2,573Pet Friendly Rentals: 78%

Marital StatusSingles: 9.7%Married Couples: 43.7%Single Parents: 7.3%Married Couples w/ Kids: 39.3%

WorkforceWhite Collar-2030Blue Collar-1486

RaceWhite alone - 9,544 (88.5%)Hispanic - 491 (4.6%)Black alone - 325 (3.0%)Asian alone - 230 (2.1%)Two or more races - 172 (1.6%)American Indian alone - 12 (0.1%)Other race alone - 11 (0.1%)

George

Barry

BelmontDam

en

Hoy

ne

Leav

itt

Wol

cott

Rave

nsw

ood

Diversey

Clybourn

Wellington

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Creating Community Curriculum through the Grassroots Community Tours

The Grassroots Community Tour (GCT) is not a new idea. This CGCT program follows in the footsteps of those like the Liberation Schools and Freedom Schools who have brought the community into classroom curriculum and rec-ognized youth and students as the powerful scholars, teachers and leaders that they are.

CGCT has developed a set of tools, resources, processes and workshops to assist schools and organizations in the creation of their own tours so that they may build and tell their own sto-

ries. A GCT is an engaging tour of sites with historic and current significance, where you learn stories of historical struggles and cultural upliftment, dig deep to uncover the roots of community issues and hear the testimonies of the

people who have made the neighborhood home and contributed to the wealth and richness of the community. And who best to research, document, plan and lead the tour, than the youth who live and learn there? They give us a glimpse into their neighborhood, their lives and their realities, all while they are learning and developing critical skills and concepts. Youth and students build the tours, create grassroot curriculum by publishing their work, lead tours for school staff and exchange tours with classes from across the city and take leadership in cre-ating change through collective action.

The GCT column will be like a tour guide around the city, featuring different Tours each issue so that you learn Chicago’s community stories from their source. This column will be a space

to build solidarity between schools and communities, uncover the roots of histori-cal issues that span the city, publicize tours and build audiences for tours and actions and publish our own Chicago history that could never be found in a text-book.

What do you remember learning about in kin-dergarten? One thing that I want to learn about is jails. Ever since I heard the song “Livin’ Just Enough for the City”, by Stevie Wonder I’ve been learning about jails. At the end of the song someone goes to jail for doing nothing and I think that is rude and mean and sad. Jails are mean, they trap people in cages for a really long time, even kids! There are more people in jail now than when my Mommy and Papi were little and we have to do something about that.

So I’m wondering … Why do they put people in jail? Are some people sent there by mistake?

Are people treated mean in jail? Who is helping people in jail? Do they have a home when they come out of jail? Who makes money from put-ting people in jail?

We all need to learn about jails because there are better ways to solve problems, like talking it out, not just locking people up in dumb cages. When I grow up I want to work in jails and help people get out, and then I want to make jails extinct. So I need to learn about this now! And other kids do too.

By Layla, 5 years old, CPS student

Presented by the students of Ms. Marshall’s civics class at Alcott College Prep, in conjuction with CGCT.

Alcott College Prep Community Tour

KinderQuestions!

Welcome to KinderQuestions! This transcribed column will

feature actual inquiries and questions regarding a social topic

of concern by a different child in kindergarten each issue.

Upon reading, we think most readers might just wonder, “did

that child really just ask such a deep question?” In order to

protect the integrity of Root Knowledge, the dignity of parents,

and most importantly, the respect for the intellectual powers of

every child featured, the answer in every situation is “yes”. The

following questions and comments you’re about to read come

directly from the mouth of an inquiring kindergartener here in

Chicago, Illinois.

Community Tour Updates:

CGCT in Action: Updates from Co-Director’s Desk

My name is Cecily Relucio Hensler, and I joined CGCT as co-director in September. I got to know CGCT two years ago, when I was directing a teacher education program at the University of Chicago. I’ve seen firsthand CGCT’s impact on aspiring teachers, so it’s an honor to be directly involved in an organization whose work I really believe in. I have two daughters that attend a CPS neighborhood elementary school, and was an elementary classroom teacher in CPS, and am deeply committed to the movement to bring justice-centered education to schools and classrooms.

The first three months have been busy! A few highlights include:

We have three amazing college interns on board: Jaime Camargo (Northern Illinois University), Cinthya Rodriguez (Northwestern University), and Lucero Segundo (Northwestern University). They bring a wealth of knowledge, critical thought, leadership, and energy to CGCT. They’ll work on several special projects over the course of this academic year, including supporting Root Knowledge.

We published a print edition of the Grassroots Curriculum Toolkit 4.0: A Critical Urban Praxis Collection. Aspiring teachers at Illinois State Univ., Indiana Univ. Northwest, Northeastern Illinois Univ., and U. of Chicago are using the Toolkit to learn how to facili-tate powerful learning experi-ences for and with every student. Our next steps are to get the word out about the Toolkit, and help to build a nation-wide movement of justice-centered teacher educa-tors and aspiring teachers.

I co-presented at the National Association for Multicultural Education annual conference, “Dismantling Fronteras through Multicultural Education: Con Comunidad, Carino y Coraje,” together with Asif Wilson, Toolkit contributing editor and co-coordinator of CGCT’s next cur-riculum book. David Stovall, president of our Board of Directors, delivered an inspiring

keynote, a call to informed collective action in response to the attack on public education, nationwide and globally.

Open Societies Foundation invited us to present to a delegation of Czech Republic legislators, as part of the Foundations’ effort to promote equal opportunities and challenge discrimi-nation faced by Roma, Europe’s largest and most excluded ethnic minority. On October 31st,

CGCT college interns and co-directors visited the Consulate General of the Czech Republic and shared our mission and vision, programs, curricula, and compelling stories about the importance and impact of education that hon-ors and recognizes the humanity of every person.

I represented CGCT as a panelist at “What is High-Quality Assessment and How Do We Get There?”, an event hosted by Raise Your Hand, a grassroots coalition of parents and concerned citizens who advocate for a quality public edu-cation for all children. Audience members and panelists discussed important questions about what constitutes quality assessment of and for learning, and the limitations and dangers of high-stakes standardized testing.

We were selected by the Woods and Crossroads Funds as a grantee of their Capacity-Building Initiative. Through their generosity, we’ve ben-efitted tremendously from community leader Inhe Choi’s expertise in the areas of strategic planning, program development, and fundrais-ing. We are grateful for their support.

Lastly, I’d like to congratulate Root Knowledge on the release of their first issue —the first of many to come! q

7

Cecily Relucio HenslerCo-Director, CGCT

Globalization: Local to Global Analysis

8

As a student or parent, you may

have heard the word globaliza-

tion mentioned a few times. You

probably have an idea of what it

means but if you don’t, here’s the

official Merriam-Webster diction-

ary definition of - “globalization:

The development of an increas-

ingly integrated global economy

marked especially by free trade,

free flow of capital, and tapping

of foreign labor markets…” Also

see our added definition on next

page.

What is Globalization and Why Care?

By Jada Yolich9th Grade, Lane Tech High School

My column, over each new edition, will shed light on the critical pattern of globalization by showing how it affects us, what’s being done about it, and what we can do. Globalization is a huge part of our world economy, as we’ll cover in this column, and some people are profiting while many, including earth itself, suffer. It affects our everyday lives and routines by impacting wages, “out-sourc-ing” jobs, producing corporate monopolies, generating mass pollution, setting food prices, creating “in” style clothing, determining new music, and much more.

Living in of one of the richest countries of the world, we do not fully understand the nega-tive effects of globalization. We

are not the global lower class who are being paid less than a dollar an hour due to lack of minimum wage laws and greed. We are not the work-ers who have to work 15-hour days because global corpora-tions want their products made as soon as possible. We are not the children who have lost their childhood because of bru-tal work.

According to the United Nations, about 215 million children work, don’t receive education, have poor nutrition, and lack the most basic human needs. There are children your age in poorer countries work-ing in factories, getting paid almost nothing, and expected to provide for their families. We are not them - even poor-er families here live the lives other people may dream of having.

Although most effects of glo-balization are despicable, this column will also pres-ent positive forms of global-

ization, including long-time indigenous forms of global-ization, that benefit society. Globalization influences the spread and diffusion of dif-ferent cultures. It is through this diffusion that someone in London can be wearing the exact same thing someone in Chicago, even though the style could have originated in Tokyo. It is language, and the mix of it. This is one of the best examples of cultural diffusion. English itself is a mix of multiple lan-guages from all over the world. For example, the word “robot” originated from the Czech word “robota”. I hope you’ll read my column in March of 2015 as we further investigate globalization. With our new knowledge of global-ization, we’ll be better able to make clearer local connec-tions and respond more intel-ligently. Even though knowing about globalization is good, doing something about it is even better. q

9

1. Classism: prejudice against or in favor of people belonging to a particular socio-economic class; systemic sorting of and oppression against people of lower-income status.

2. Consumerism: the produc-tion of and promotions towards buying mate-rial items; the belief that consumption is good for the economy, so we should buy more; an addiction to material goods.

3. Economy: the system of finances, wealth, and resources of a land, especially regarding the production and consumption of goods and services; the organization of and distribution of wealth through specific ideolog-ically-defined frames such as capitalism.

4. Equity: the quality of being fair, just, or impartial, especially in regards to social, economic, and political needs of all people.

5. Gentrification: the process of displacing poorer individuals from their neighborhood by triggering market forces, housing prices, and higher rents that cater to the gentry, a wealthier people, moving in.

6. Globalization: the age-old, and ever-increasing, processes of global exchanges of ideas, goods, services, labor, resources, and now, corporate dominion of one region over another; the exploitation of global labor, prices, and markets for mass accumula-tion of wealth by corporations, especially from nations with colonial and imperial histories such as Great Britain, United States, France, Germany, Belgium, Japan and other industrial-ized nations.

7. Inequality: lack of fairness or justice, especially through systematically uneven distribution of resources resulting in greater wealth and power for some and rising poverty for many.

8. Inflation: the average increase in prices of consumer products and housing costs, often coupled with no or little increase in employment income.

9. Standard of living: the degree of wealth and material comfort avail-able to a person or community.

10. Wage garnishment: any legal procedure in which a portion of a person’s earnings are withheld by an employer for the payment of a debt. Garnishments are usually made by court order and now affect 10% of the US population.

Real World Economics This is the first of many arti-

cles on the economy to offer

Chicagoans an honest look at

various economic issues affect-

ing our lives. It seeks to inform

the reader of the obstacles we

face today in order to spark inter-

est and create solutions to these

problems. To begin let’s look at

some terms that we need to know

in order to talk about economics

in future newsletters.

Ten Economic Terms We Should Know By Juan Ramirez 11th Grade, Devry High School

10

Migration is the process of peo-ple migrating from their home country to another. According to the Department of Human Services, as of 2012, approxi-mately 11.4 million students in the US are directly affected by immigration and its policies. Obstacles faced by students and their families include being ineligible to apply for federal aid, fear of deportation, and discrimination for being excluded from what “citizens” qualify for.

Undocumented students attend school in the hopes of chas-ing their dreams and learning the lessons that will one day improve their lives. However, they also live each day feeling “Othered”, knowing that they are labeled as “illegal aliens”. When students are excluded from being in the US, they become discouraged and are discriminated against in differ-ent ways. An example of this discouragement and discrimi-nation is evident in New York

where refugee stu-dents are labeled by a number of 1 through 4 depend-ing on how impor-tant they are val-

ued by US society. However, as educators such as Diane Ravitch have commented, this situation is unjust and students are remarkable regardless of what mainstream society may think of them.

The situation for these stu-dents only gets worse when most students, who are “citi-zens,” do not understand or are not aware of these issues that immigrant students face. As public schools, they have a responsibility to teach about all students’ histories and cultures so we can treat each other with dignity and respect.

Although many undocumented students speak English, some still face a language barrier. While some schools in Chicago have a program for teaching students other languages, many still exclude languages spoken by migrants. For exam-ple, Prosser Career Academy (my high school, located on

the west side of Chicago) offers Spanish and French. French is taught for students who may be interested, however, more people come from a Polish background at Prosser then they do French. Schools should keep in mind what is most rel-evant and what will contrib-ute to better understandings among students.

However, I want to be clear that learning another language is not enough. Currently and historically, the way this coun-try deals with undocumented people is unjust. A recent piece of legislation relating to immi-gration was passed in June 2013. However much of a victo-ry this bill bring for the undoc-umented community is still a question, and there are still many obstacles undocumented students and their loved ones face. Studying beyond high school remains unrealistic for over 11.4 million students and it should not be this way.

This and other challenges will be further examined as I cover the challenges, hopes and activism of migrant communi-ties. q

Migration | ImmigrationThis column will take a critical

look at migration and the impact

of unnatural boundaries on the

movement and livelihoods of stu-

dents. Why are certain groups

repeatedly displaced? What are

the experiences of the children of

immigrants in Chicago schools,

including undocumented stu-

dents? How are schools support-

ing the preservation of homeland

culture, language, and traditions

while supporting their success in

the United States?

(Im)migration Struggles and Education

By Pedro Gonzalez12th Grade, Prosser Career Academy







tation ullamcorper.

S u b h e a d






Why does there seem to be an inconsistency between what we are told about meritocracy and what we actually experience? The idea that hard work reaps major rewards doesn’t seem to apply to everyone. Social reproduc-tion concentrates on the system in society that keeps a particular group of peo-ple from advancing to better life outcomes from one generation to another. Examples of social reproduction in a group include having the same jobs, living in the same neighborhoods, hav-ing the same level of education, and same social network despite the level of hard work put in. Although the reproduction of these examples may favor those who are in a beneficial position in society with little to no obstacles, for other groups it is really difficult to break from this cycle.

Lets take a look at a real life scenario where social reproduction takes place.

If an individual seeks employment but is denied due to systematic inequalities, employment opportunities may be limited to low paying

jobs. The low wages limits the individual’s finances that might result in working multiples jobs, which can then lead to health problems due to overwork and the lack of rest. As a result, this may lead to high medical expenses, which may result in having to work more hours to pay

medical costs.

Marginalized groups are often the victims of this cycle, mean-ing that they have to work twice as much to escape it. It is crucial for the ones that do break this pattern to lift our communities

as we all climb in our own struggle to obtain better life outcomes.

While education may be a key to eradicate this reproduction, there are other options as well. Just by helping out in one’s community, we can have a huge impact helping many others as you fight similar obstacles in your neighborhoods. Working in solidarity with one another to tackle issues that affect each of us is a great way to fight this oppressive cycle of negative social reproduction and work towards a better society for all. q

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What is Positive and Negative Social Reproduction?By Jaime CamargoCGCT College Intern

“The idea that hard

work reaps major

rewards doesn’t seem

to apply to everyone.”

Quest ions to Ponder:What are the roots of nega-t ive social reproduct ion?

How does negat ive social reproduct ion escalate?

What aspects of negat ive social reproduct ion may impact you or your fami ly?

How do people handle these negat ive aspects?

How do people change them?

What is posi t ive social reproduct ion?

How do we perpetuate posi-t ive social reproduct ion?

What l i fe lesson(s) can you gain by studying the graph-ic ( lef t )?

Should Urban Students Learn about Crack Cocaine and the CIA?

A Critical Movie Review of Kill the Messenger

By Anton Miglietta

It seems impossible, unbelievable, outrageous. Could it be that the U.S. government participat-ed in flooding Black communities with crack cocaine? Did the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) actually partner with Los Angeles drug dealer “Freeway” Ricky Ross and a Central American drug cartel in the early 1980s to commit such an atrocity? Sadly, yes.

Kill the Messenger (Focus Features, NBC Universal, 2014) delivers a hard-hitting, spell-bounding true story of Gary Webb, a reporter from the San Jose Mercury News, who went down the rabbit hole to uncover one of, if not, the most intriguing investigative stories of our time.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner (“The Bourne Legacy”) leads an all-star cast in this political thriller based on Webb’s book, Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion (1998). In Kill the Messenger, “Webb stumbles onto a story which leads to the shady origins of the men who start-ed the crack epidemic on the nation’s streets…and further alleges that the CIA was aware of major dealers who were smuggling cocaine into the U.S., and using the profits to arm reb-els fighting in Nicaragua” (http://www.focus-features.com/kill_the_messenger/synopsis). Despite facing threats on his life, “Webb keeps digging to uncover a conspiracy with explosive implications.”

Such a claim would need substantial proof, which is exactly what one finds in Webb’s book, Dark Alliance. Government documents, court reports, interviews with “kingpin” drug dealers, and government representatives all confirm an insidious, infuriating, and criminal history on the part of the CIA - a history much more rel-evant and interesting than most US textbooks combined.

Should students study this history today? Do students have a right to learn the roots of our drug problem and the massive policing and prison boom that resulted? Root Knowledge resoundingly echoes, “yes!” We most certainly think students should know the roots of crack

cocaine, which ushered in the mass criminalization of Black and Brown youth over a thirty year period. We think Webb’s book and this movie, among other sources, would be a great place to start building a high-ly relevant and interesting curricu-lar unit around. We encourage our teachers to be courageous!

CGCT’s own publication Urban Renewal or Urban Removal?, see pp. 167-171, (2012) places this very history of the drug war, gang vio-lence, and destabilization within

the perspective of community disinvestment, gentrification, and the marginalization of young people of color to better understand how all these seemingly separate events connect. With this information, we can better understand and make sense of our conditions. We learn to real-ize that forces bigger than small-time gangs are involved in the flow and distribution of drugs into our cities.

This dark chapter of US history, we believe, adds to a relevant, intriguing, and meaning-ful learning experience in school. We strongly encourage everyone see Kill the Messenger and check out Dark Alliance. You certainly won’t be disinterested! q

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This review is the first in series

entitled Critical Arts Review, and

is dedicated to introducing read-

ers to important books, films, art,

theater, and music that will enrich

our lives and classrooms.

Critical Arts Review: Kill the Messenger, the movie

Our rat ing system:

4 fists = Extremely powerful,

relevant & interesting

3 fists = Powerful, relevant &

interesting

2 fists = Somewhat relevant &

interesting

1 fist = Lacking in relevance &

interest

Resisting White Walls

By Lucero SegundoCGCT College Intern

“The world is founded on thoughts and ideas. Not on cotton or iron”, reads an ornately deco-rated olive green door on the Chicago Cultural Center quoting Emerson, U.S. writer and poet. But who exactly is credited with these “ideas”? Unpacking this quote leads to a long history of “high culture” as adhering to white, Eurocentric standards while overlooking the labor of the working classes and people of color. This is especially true when it comes to cultural and artistic productions. Essentially, most “fine art” found in museums is of a Eurocentric nature, yet most art produced around the world has emerged from people of color. When art from Native Americans is shown, it is often belittled and/or not shown in the context of historic struggles for survival against European coloni-zation and imperialism.

For example, I observed the separation of “Indian Art of the Americas” in the Art Institute from the “American Art Before 1900” portion of the museum. Here, whiteness symbolizes modernity while anything outside of that is seg-regated as a backwards “other”. The museum also fails to acknowledge that many Native Americans living on reservations today live in poverty, continue to be criminalized, and suffer systematic marginalization. By placing Native American works in glass displays, the violent history of genocide is, for the most part, pushed

out of mind by prioritizing aesthetics over his-torical truths.

Not to say that they can’t be productive spaces, but what do art institutions reproduce when they overwhelmingly display art adhering to European standards and avoid discussions of the unequal power dynamics set by colonialism that make up race? Diversity seems only to be welcomed in institutions when it can be con-trolled. For example, why is it that murals on Pilsen’s 16th street depicting Che Guevara and expressing Brown Pride aren’t seen as worthy of preservation, left to the effects of weather and time? Why is it that street artists in black and brown neighborhoods are automatically criminalized and their art is “buffed”?

The museum directs viewers to navigate through the museum by consenting to the authority that has declared these works as the “fine art”. Analyzing this exclusivity helps us understand how certain Chicago museums maintain racial hierarchy by reinforcing the “right” interpreta-tion of art works as the white interpretation. By furthering our analysis, we can re-imagine art, acknowledge its multiple forms, and seek to re-define what we think of as “fine art”. To me, the mural on 16th street epitomizes fine art. q

What makes up fine art to you?

This article is the beginning of a series of critical art reviews with the goal of pro-viding a counter-narrative to Eurocentric interpreta-tions of art.

13

Critical Arts Review: Museums

Two examples of Chicago Street Art

The Brown Berets in Chicago: A Lesser Known “Ourstory”

By Cinthyia RodriguezCGCT College Intern

Last spring, I was interviewed by a group of high school stu-dents in Logan Square. We talked about social justice, education, and youth violence in Chicago. One of the students asked me, “Why do Mexicans and Puerto Ricans hate each other so much?” They took it there. But I think it’s very important that this student asked the question. Schools do not usually encourage us to ask questions about why things are the way they are.

I responded by bringing in both the history of Mexican and Puerto Rican migration in Chicago and systemic tactics of ‘divide and conquer’ across communities of color. “People are not just born hating each other. Something had to hap-pen,” I said. “Duh,” one of them responded, “I’m half Mexican and half Puerto Rican.” “Well, there you go,” I said. “So what happened? Do y’all know about the history of Latino/a organiz-ing and unity?” I asked. “Have you heard about the Young Lords or Brown Berets?”

This experience is telling of the irrelevance historically perva-sive in our system of educa-tion. It reminds us that while Chicago has a long history of youth organizing, it is being silenced and forgotten in the mainstream curriculum.

The Black Panthers and Puerto Rican Young Lords fought for the liberation of all Third World people and struggled against displacement and gentrifica-tion in the 1970s. Yet, lesser known to us, the Brown Berets also fought for self-determina-tion. A Chicana/o organization with similar ideologies to the Young Lords, the Brown Berets acted in self-defense, contrib-uting community service, and adopting a Chicana/o cultural nationalist identity. But we hardly remember them.

The Brown Berets were founded in 1967 in East Los Angeles and led dem-onstrations (including student walkouts called “blow outs”) against police brutality and edu-cational inequalities. By 1968, the Brown Berets had become a national organization with a presence that reached Chicago, developing a significant pres-ence in Pilsen and other neighborhoods such as South Chicago.

The contributions of the Brown Berets to Pilsen are particu-larly important to note. Casa

Aztlán, previously the Howell House, was founded in 1970 due, in great part, to Brown Beret efforts. The Brown Berets called it their home. At Casa Aztlán, the Brown Berets cre-ated the Benito Juarez Health Clinic (or Benito Juarez Free Clinic) in 1972. Many people from the Pilsen community would volunteer there and seek services.

But the community was also in need of a local high school. Students had to cross gang lines to get to one in Back of the Yards. In 1973, the Brown Berets helped occupy the now-closed Froebel Middle School and demanded a high school for Pilsen. After student walk outs, a full day occupation, and “riots,” Benito Juarez High School was finally built in 1977.

So how do we honor the sacri-fices of those in the community who came before us? How do we make sure their sacrifices are never forgotten? For one, we must demand that we see our-selves reflected in the history we learn in schools. Students need to know why things are the way we are. Students need

14

Between 2009 and 2013, CGCT asked over 1100 young Chicagoans what and who comes to mind when they think of Chicago history. About 95% of al l responses, in order of most ment ioned, included:Great Chicago fire

Al Capone and mafia

Michael Jordan and Bulls

1893 World’s Fair

Sears Tower

Smelly onion fields

Rarely ment ioned by 1100+ respondents (only 2% of al l responses):Labor movements /

Haymarket Affair

Harold Washington

Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable

1968 Democratic Convention

Rudy Lozano and

Latino/a struggles

Never ment ioned by 1100+ respondents:Actual indigenous nations

Black Hawk’s battles

1919 Race Riots

Any organizing coalitions

Segregation and “redlining”

The Daley Machine

1963 CPS student boycotts

1966 Division Street rebellions

Masterplans for gentrification

Historic immigration marches

Chicago’s Black Panther Party

Chicago’s Young Lords

Chicago’s great music history

Deindustrialization

Chicago police brutality

Political corruption

And much more...

Chicago History We’re Not Learning







tation ullamcorper.

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continued from page 4

Why Don’t We Learn Real Chicago History?

This experience has made me a stronger and more careful person when researching for a paper to get accurate infor-mation. I learned that history is often taught through the eyes of rich white men such as presidents, “explorers”, and businessmen. This makes me wonder what other perspec-tives, histories, and people are kept out of my history class. Why do most history classes and textbooks present one per-spective?

If I want to know the truth about Chicago’s history, and other histories, then I will have to look for it myself. Luckily, we have grassroots curriculum to help lead the way. q

15

to learn about the conditions that made it possible (and nec-essary) for the Brown Berets, Young Lords, Black Panthers, and Young Patriots to exist in Chicago. Mexicans and Puerto Ricans do not inherently hate each other, but if we don’t know accurate histories of struggle and unity, we might believe the stereotypes. We must demand our story! q

Sources and to learn more:

Chicanas of 18th Street:

Narratives of a Movement

from Latino Chicago

Brown in the Windy City:

Mexicans and Puerto Ricans

in Postwar Chicago

by Lilia Fernandez

Sancho’s Journal: Exploring the

Political Edge with the Brown

Berets by David Montejano

Brown Berets National Website:

nationalbrownberets.com

Casa Aztlán Website:

orion.neiu.edu/~casaaztl/

Main.htm

The Outlaw Artist of 18th Street,

Marcos Raya: His Life, His Work,

His Demon

Root Knowledge invi tes students, parents, and educators to…

Write Ar t ic les

Conduct Invest igat ions

Submit Poetry

Submit Ar t / Photos

Submit Info. Graphics

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E-mail us at [email protected] and visit www.latinostudies.northwestern.edu

1918 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60208 Phone: (847) 467-3980 • Fax: (847) 467-8933

The Latina and Latino Studies Program at Northwestern University engages with the histories,

political experiences, cultural expressions, and intellectual traditions of Latinas and Latinos living

in the United States.

would like to congratulate

on their �rst issueRoot Knowledge

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Order a full set of Root Knowledge journals for FREE by emailing us at: [email protected]. Respond to the following questions:1 Provide us with some background about yourself and the youth group / classroom?2 How will you utilize the Root Knowledge journal in the classroom / youth group?3 Are you committing to utilizing each quarterly issue (Dec., March, June, Sep.)? 4 Are you committing to following through in helping students/youth submit a piece?5 Indicate if you can pick up the copies at 4554 N. Broadway, Chicago, ste 326 or provide us with mailing info (this adds to our costs, but we’re willing).

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Root Knowledge invites potential sponsors and advertisers to support the ONLY CITYWIDE STUDENT, PARENT, EDUCATOR JOURNAL by placing an ad or sponsorship in the March edition. Reach thousands in the Chicago area with a positive message, announcement, promotion, or special offer!

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RK Student Edi tor ia l TeamJaime Camargo Pedro Gonzalez Al lende Migl iet taJuan RamirezCinthya Rodriguez Lucero Segundo Jada Yol ich(Your name here!)

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CGCT Board of DirectorsMichi l la BlaiseGabriel Cortez Pedro GonzalezNzinga Hi l l Patr ic ia Hi l l Rudy Lozano Jr.Isaura Pul ido David Stoval lMonica Swope Wil la Taylor

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Citywide Grassroots Journal by Students, Parents & Educators

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editors invite youth, parents

& educators to submit writing,

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In This IssueClassroom Testimonies 4

Chicago Student Union 5

Community Tours 6

CGCT In Action 7

Real World Economics 9

Immigration Struggles 10

Critical Art Reviews 12-13

and more...

Students Launch Root Knowledge: Shed Light on “Bogus” Curriculum and Demand Relevance

Should students, families and communities have a right to help decide what, how, and why children learn in schools? When Columbus and other “explorers” are presented as heroes (which still happens - see below), should teach-ers be checked for miseducating and brain-washing innocent children? When students con-tinually define their formal learning as “test-based”, “boring”, “irrelevant”, “useless”, and “white-washed”, and many grow to “hate” read-ing, writing, math, science, and/or history, what needs to change?

With support from Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce, we’ve decided to launch Root Knowledge, a student, parent, and educator-based publication led by students from grades k to college, to expose and address these and other problems in curricu-lum. In addition, we’ll present issues of concern in our communities and around the globe we think should be taught more in our classrooms with hopes that we can make learning more relevant for all students.

“I want Root Knowledge to encourage students to think about their learning and curriculum. I want the curriculum in classrooms to apply

to real situations so youth around Chicago can realize that learning can be improved. It’s not this set thing that CPS dictates. I want to inspire others to care about and change what’s being taught”, says Jada Yolich, a 9th grader at Lane Tech High School and RK’s Managing Editor in-training.

The Root Knowledge editorial team is asking classroom teachers and youth groups across

Chicagoland to utilize this quar-terly newsletter as a regular learning tool. Teachers and youth groups are asked to encour-age their students to study and analyze RK while encouraging submissions of articles, essays, reviews, photography, art, and

other forms of research such as info. graphics for publication. The editorial team will review all submissions and publish selected pieces on our forthcoming CGCT webpage or here in print.

Pedro Gonzalez, a 12th grader from Prosser Career Academy, student rep. on CGCT’s Board of Directors, and RK editorial member, says, “I hope this newsletter leads to people reconsider-ing the current curriculum as sufficient enough for our students. The curriculum should not

By RK editorial team

“I want to inspire

others to care about

and change what’s

being taught.”

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