During the Red Summer of 1919, racial tensions boiled over in Chicago. That includes feelings of marginalization and other problems that may cause depression and stress, dampen their self-esteem, affect identity development, and hurt their academic performance, among other problems. CHICAGO - As an eighth-grader in 2017, South Chicago resident Randy Pierre boasted the grades and test scores to get into some of Chicago's top high schools. "I thought everything that I've been taught to strive for, like financial stability and securing safe housing, going to a good college, these things would have been threatened if I spoke up, and I would have basically wasted my opportunity to go to Latin, which is supposed to give you more opportunities to step up in life than you could have ever imagined if you stayed in your neighborhood," she said. Keiara Stallworth, a 2020 Latin graduate. We commit to continuing our efforts to change our educational program, the culture of behavioral accountability and our fundraising and allocation of financial resources.. Indeed, several current Latin students and alums interviewed by Injustice Watch told stories of confronting authority figures about racism and sexism, raising their voices to fight against oppression, and organizing other students of color. Apply to Custodian, Elementary School Teacher, Tutor and more! There is a 30-year gap in the life expectancies of Black and white Chicagoans depending on their ZIP code. "But it got worse, to the point where people, white people, were just saying the N-word around me as if I wasn't there.". Latin School currently takes out permits for this area and other park district facilities, as do other schools and private sports clubs like AYSO, Little League and the Chicago Sport & Social Club. Freshman year, someone posting on an anonymous message board referred to her and her group of friends as the ghetto girls and questioned why a white girl who hung out with them would be seen with them. He sent Injustice Watch a statement saying that the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis "and too many others" had created an opportunity for Black people and other marginalized groups "to share experiences that have gone unspoken and unheard for far too long. Chicago is my home. Her father was applying for his citizenship at the time, she said, so the comment hit close to home. J.B. Pritzker. Tuition ranges from about $33,000 to $37,000 depending on grade. Latin was one of the first high schools I was introduced to, and its reputation for intense academic rigor and notable alumni appealed to me immediately. I didn't know how to deal with it; I decided to not speak, assuming he had a stressful day at school. Those include an anti-racist curriculum with nonelective courses on Black culture and history and reforms to the admissions process, such as an end to legacy admissions. "I left from a classroom at High Jump that was 60-70% Black and brown to a class where I was the only Black person in the space. After a lengthy, painful deliberation (where some people on the body's biases were clearly showing), we decided to give them both an out-of-school suspension. A post shared by @ survivorsoflatin on Jun 21, 2020 at 2:24pm PDT. In this piece, Randy reflects on his experiences with racism at Latin School and how the school has responded since July. I kind of just took it because I felt like if I showed that they were affecting me they would just keep doing it, he said. CHICAGO (WLS) -- A bomb threat has forced the Latin School of Chicago to send students home Thursday . The Bronsteins aren't the only parents who say that the Latin School of Chicago has a toxic culture which includes bullying, racism, hate crimes, and more. Within a week of its creation in late June, the Instagram page received more than 200 submissions and attracted the attention of more than 1,000 followers. They are kids and so they have a lot of options for what to do with their anger and fear and trauma and angst, but the fact that they choose to channel those negative emotions into generative action, thats a lesson for all of us, Russell said. A post shared by @ survivorsoflatin on Jun 23, 2020 at 2:10pm PDT. Indeed, there is an Instagram page for "Survivors of Latin School" with countless alumni sharing their stories of abuse and bullying. While Latin Survivors central focus is anti-Blackness, the submissions also include stories of alleged sexual misconduct by teachers, and sexist, anti-immigrant, anti-Latinx, and anti-Muslim statements by students, parents, and educators. Latin School Chicago. The teachers never said anything either. The teacher made jokes about how the British kid was always next to me because he was `colonizing' me. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our public service journalism emailed directly to you. The students behind the Instagram page said theyre encouraged by the administrations response so far. Former Latin grads Alex Moreno and Michelle Perez on their graduation day in 2017. When she arrived at Latin, she was one of just a handful of Black people in her grade and often was the only Black person in her classes, she said. Robert and Rose Bronstein sued the Latin School of Chicago in connection . Statements. But the Pilsen resident still cried as she retold the story to Injustice Watch. The Latin School of Chicago, a $40,000-a-year private institution, allegedly added critical race theory into its physics classes in 2016 . This school has prepared me for college and life beyond like no other possibly could. Today, a near-record 14% of the country's population is foreign born compared with just 5% in 1965. I dreaded going to school every day to the point where I wanted to transfer during my first year. The children of former Gov. We won changes to the student handbook this fall that emphasize student support, including the creation of an Incident Bias Report. 1888. Two-thirds of Latins student population is white in a city where the same proportion of residents are people of color. Randy, the rising senior from South Chicago, said that he attended a leadership conference with hundreds of other Black youth last year and returned to Latin committed to speaking out against racist abuse. . The changes will come too late for Keiara Stallworth, who just graduated in June after attending Latin since the fifth grade. In the U.S., elite independent schools such as Latin have historically catered to a mostly white and affluent population. I understand now that Im here to change the space, the space is not here to change me. It is in the way that we speak.". Like other current and former students at Latin, she said there was a culture of silence around racial injustice. We are the voices of students, alumni, parents, and faculty at the Latin School of Chicago that have endured anti-blackness, racism, and xenophobia. The girl in that story, Alex Moreno, is now a 21-year-old woman attending college. Students, alumni, parents and some faculty have signed on in support. Like Marilyn Pierre, Moreno was introduced to Latin via the High Jump enrichment program after they sent an outreach team to her middle school. (About 85% of Latin families donated to the school in the 2018-19 academic year, contributing more than $5 million, according to Latins latest annual report.). inception. The spokesperson for Latin Survivors, a recent grad who spoke to Injustice Watch on the condition of anonymity, said the group was inspired by Black students who are leading social media campaigns exposing injustice at other top college prep schools across the U.S. The majority of the participants are students of color, unlike Latin's student body. Initially, I thought this was just a generic stick with it and persevere kind of statement. Still, the students and alums characterized Latin as an oppressive environment for people of color where microaggressions and overt acts of racism were overlooked or handled with slaps on the wrist. Thirteen percent of students get financial aid from the school, which reported more than $50 million in revenue last year. 298 people like this. She said she had a strong drive to be successful at Latin because shes the child of immigrants. Critical race theorists hold that racism is . Chicago, IL latinschool.org Joined March 2009. We pledge to ongoing introspection to build our individual and institutional racial awareness and literacy, and to continue to identify and overcome obstacles that keep us from realizing our goal of becoming an inclusive, anti-racist community.. 3. reviews ( 3 %) All Categories. "I kind of just took it because I felt like if I showed that they were affecting me they would just keep doing it," he said. They cited talented and beloved teachers and administrators who supported them. Fellow students also advised against speaking out, and told her she should expect racism, xenophobia, and misogyny, which was a hard truth to swallow for a 13-year-old. She also remembers teachers allowing students to get away with comments in social studies classes deriding immigrants and other marginalized groups, saying things like "why do we have to learn about terrorists?" This anonymous form allows students to share their stories of bias and receive a response from a faculty member, letting them know that someone has read the story and some form of action will be taken. After I graduated, I became a public school teacher in Bronzeville. Throughout the decades, the school has remained one of the finest in the nation . CPS has pledged to address racial disparities in access to career and college readiness programs that are lacking at under-funded schools, where JROTC programs often fill the void. Because, look, if these kids can get in, then its not the system thats the problem. Randy's story is one of the hundreds shared by current and former Latin students accusing students and teachers of racism, xenophobia, and abuse at the college prep school, according to an . One of Latin School of Chicago's school buildings on the Gold Coast. survivorsoflatin@protonmail.com. "I mistakenly thought that High Jump was Latin, that the community and support would be there," said Marilyn Pierre, now a 24-year-old grad student. One common thread was the perception of an indifferent response by school officials. She says the faculty member who fielded the complaint, a woman of color, threw it out and supported her. Later on, I searched up the name, Harambe, and learned that it was the name of a gorilla. Another person wrote about a fellow student who proudly showed off" a disciplinary note hed received for using a racial epithet. Community Organization. Just north of Latin is Francis W. Parker School, where a group thats behind the @fwpanonymous Instagram page has crafted its own list of demands, calling on administrators to implement changes to curriculum, admissions and school culture. image. 1 reference. By my junior year, everything started to shift. Like other current and former students at Latin, she said there was a culture of silence around racial injustice. By Scott Holland. She was active in Latinx student groups that pushed for more racial inclusion at the school and participated in student focus groups centered on race and equity. Earlier Saturday, Marist defeated Montini Catholic High School, 34-0, in its homecoming football game. "I received a wonderful education, but at what price? Through the Lens of Athletics: A Mental Approach to Sports by Latin School of Chicago published on 2022-09-20T18:52:56Z. Moreno, who came from a school that shared one projector, was amazed when she saw smartboards and MacBooks in every class at Latin, she said, and she wanted access to those resources. Students and alums reveal racist culture at top Chicago private school. When this or any other recreation area is not being used by a group that has purchased a permit, it is open to anyone who wishes to use it. Several members of the wealthy Pritzker family have attended Latin, including Gigi Pritzker, and the children of Illinois billionaire Gov. The page administrators also omit the names of anyone whose behavior or words is called out by the authors. Last year, fellow students and I protested, emailed school leaders, and presented ideas that would make BIPOC students feel more comfortable at Latin. She said it took her "two years to learn how to code-switch," and that other students would ridicule her or shoot her strange looks when she did things like say "axe" instead of "ask" or made minor grammatical mistakes. Retold the story to injustice Watch the way that we speak. `` the. Behavior or words is called out by the administrations response so far comment hit close to.... In support has prepared me for college and life beyond like no other possibly could 23 2020. One of the participants are students of color, threw it out and supported her is not here to the. 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