Social Justice HS proposes
new public school support

CHICAGO - As part of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Renaissance 2010 initiative, the Greater Lawndale Little Village School for Social Justice has submitted a proposal for a new Pride Campus to the CPS Office of New Schools. This would expand the School for Social Justice’s mission of providing high quality college preparatory education for all students in the City of Chicago.

The proposed Social Justice High School - Pride Campus has been in development since Spring 2008.

If approved, it would become a citywide public high school open to all students beginning in September 2010.

CPS will announce its decision on whether the school will move forward by the end of October 2008.

The proposed Pride Campus would be a national model in providing a safe, affirming, and supportive environment where every student - particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students and their allies (LGBTQA youth) - would develop the knowledge and skills needed to create better lives for themselves and their families and to succeed in their post-secondary pursuits.

“I’m proud to say that the Pride Campus would not isolate LGBTQA youth. It would be open to all students - regardless of sexual orientation - and would provide them with an exemplary education while teaching them to be allies for one another. In addition, it would have a key focus on providing a safe, affirming, and supportive environment for LGBTQA youth,” said Bill Greaves, Director and Community Liaison of the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.

To allow the public to learn more about the proposed Pride Campus, a Chicago Public Schools community hearing will be held from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2008, at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted.

“For most CPS students, school is their second home if not their first. In my family, it is still not OK to talk about being gay. I wish I could have had an outlet earlier in life. The Pride Campus would provide that for today’s students,” said Alma Preciado, CPS graduate.

“The impetus for Social Justice High School came from the belief that all students deserve the opportunity for a safe, rigorous, college preparatory high school regardless of who they are or where they come from,” said Principal Candidate Chad Weiden. “The proposed Pride Campus would strengthen this mission by directly creating a space for LGBTQA students, who are often overlooked.”

The Design Team for the proposed Pride Campus includes veteran teachers and administrators from Greater Lawndale Little Village School for Social Justice, a professor from University of Illinois at Chicago, the Educational Director for About Face Theatre, the Director and staff from the Chicago Public Schools Office of Student Development, and the City of Chicago’s liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

The Design Team envisions that Pride Campus graduates would attend college or other post-secondary institutions at high rates, becoming transformative and successful members of society who recognize the responsibility to improve their communities and the world. Thus, the proposed Social Justice High School - Pride Campus would improve on current conditions for LGBTQA youth in Chicago’s public schools and would be a national model for best practices in the education of LGBTQA youth.

In addition to the Design Team, an Advisory Team for the proposed new school includes representatives from, in alphabetical order, the 44th Ward of Chicago, Association of Latino Men for Action, Broadway Youth Center, Center on Halsted, DePaul University, GLAAD, Golden Apple Foundation of Illinois, Hetrick-Martin Institute - Home of the Harvey Milk High School, Lambda Legal, PFLAG Chicago, Roosevelt University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The Greater Lawndale Little Village School for Social Justice is dedicated to the principles of the hunger strike that brought the school into existence, namely social justice oriented principles and values such as truth and transparency, collective community power, struggle and sacrifice, and ownership and agency. The School for Social Justice sees the attainment of a college degree as central to any realization of social justice.

Center on Halsted holds
Career & Education Expo

CHICAGO - Center on Halsted will host the second annual Career and Education Expo in collaboration with CareerBuilder.com. The expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept,13 at 3656 N. Halsted. Chicago area and national employers, along with representatives from local educational institutions will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about opportunities available to LGBT potential employees and students. Throughout the expo there will be a resume writing workshop. All ages welcome. To register, visit www.centeronhalsted.org. For more information, contact Natasha Gutman at ngutman@centeronhalsted.org or call 773-472-6469.

“Black Coffee”
benefits BEHIV

CHICAGO - Better Existence with HIV (BEHIV) hosts an Internet fund-raiser to continue funding its Massage Therapy Program with proceeds donated from “Black Coffee” CD sales. Jazz artist Pippi Ardennia will donate $10 from each “Black Coffee” CD sold through the end of September. Guests are “invited” to view her performance of Summertime on the You Tube link at www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pippi+ardennia& search_type=&aq=f and then requested to visit www.behiv org and click on the BEHIV shop link to purchase the CD. The Massage Therapy Program directly benefits individuals who suffer from HIV/AIDS-related neuropathy and lack financial resources to receive the benefits of this vital program. Despite the program benefits, federal funding has been eliminated. However, BEHIV is committed to continue providing this very important service. For more information, call 847-475-2115 or visit www.behiv.org.