Month: May 2016

Teen’s Dream: Escape Gangs, Then Open Giant Medical Center On South Side

What happens to a dream deferred? Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep student Kayla Eubanks doesn’t know, because although her dream will take longer to achieve, she isn’t giving up. The Englewood native has dreams of opening a medical center on the South Side, and with a 4.27 grade point average and 28 ACT score, it’s very possible. Eubanks has been accepted…

Drugs, Money and College: A First Generation Story #ProofPointDay

When I walked onto the campus of DePaul University in the fall of 2003, I was scared.  I felt prepared academically.  Socially, I could hold my own.  But, culturally I had no idea what I was getting into.  I was what they call “first generation”, the first in my family line to attend a four-year university.  I thought that nothing…

From “The Great Migration” to “First Generation” : My Story #ProofPointDay

My grandparents hailed from Mississippi to Chicago during The Great Migration. My grandfather, Robert Thompson, was a hard worker who took a job at a meat factory and also drove a pickup truck collecting odd objects he would sell along the way. My grandmother stayed at home, tending to their four boys. My father graduated from what was known as…

Low-income school districts caught in a statistical crossfire

As the wait for an Illinois budget continues, schools across the state are searching for alternative ways to secure funding. Low-income schools are stuck in the middle. “When the Republicans talk about how much Chicago spends per pupil, they always inflate the number by counting the money CPS puts into its pension fund,” Manar said. “Then they compare that to…

The One Thing Bill O’Reilly Forgot to Mention in His Chicago Rant

Bill O’Reilly forgot to mention one thing in his now viral rant about broken neighborhoods in Chicago. He forgot to talk about the schools. Violence in Chicago is out of control. And I 100% agree with O’Reilly that if this reality were playing out in the streets of richer, whiter communitties the problem would have already been solved. But, make…