While the major media is “Waiting for Supe,” why don’t they promote this movie?
Free premier of “The Education They Deserve” tonight, Thursday Sept. 16, at 7 pm in the McCormick Tribune
Center at Northwestern University, 1870 Campus Dr in Evanston.
The Education They Deserve is a full-length movie produced by United We Learn, the Evanston-based group founded as a result of the Sept. 2008 school boycott organized by Rev. James Meeks.
Here’s how United We Learn describes the 2008 event: “Reverend Senator James Meeks brought
busloads of Chicago Public School children to New Trier High School on
the North Shore to call attention to inequities in education across the
State of Illinois. Hoping to welcome the students and committed to educating themselves
and others on the issue of education funding, a group of parents,
teachers, clergy and community members came together in a Winnetka
dining room a week before their visit. United We Learn (UWL), the grassroots organization that was born that
day, We wondered why the excellent education students receive on the
North Shore is out of reach for countless students across the state.
Members embarked on an inquiry into the state’s education achievement
gap, interviewing experts across the state and holding three community
forums attended by over 220 people.”
The movie is the result of what the group learned.
I happened to notice that one of the founders of UWL is Jessica Clarke, an early school reform colleague who worked for Designs for Change and then the Urban League, helping them promote fair school funding back in the 1990′s. It’s been a long fight, and it continues today, right, Jessica?
Julie Woestehoff is PURE's executive director. Julie's work has earned her a Ford Foundation award and recognition as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Chicago.