Parents and Allies Launch a Hunger Strike #FightForDyett Videos

UPDATE: By Jitu Brown | Originally Published at Facebook. August 17, 2015 | ‪#‎fightfordyett‬ ‪#‎wearedyett‬ Good morning brothers and sisters. This is Day 3 of our HUNGER STRIKE for Dyett Global Leadership and Green Technology High School. We are united in purpose, for Black children in Bronzeville to have a world-class “system of education” in their community. WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO WORK WITH Chicago Public Schools [CPS] ON DYETT SINCE 2009. We respectfully and carefully secured the input of hundreds of parents, students, teachers and community members to develop an excellent academic plan for Dyett to become the hub of a “Sustainable Community School Village.” This process can be used in Black and Brown communities nationwide. It’s a gift that has been rebuked because CPS does not want equity. They want Black and Brown children as product for the public education marketplace. Not on our watch.

1. Chicago Public Schools [CPS] is now saying they will vote on Dyett at the September 25th board meeting. The HUNGER STRIKERS have said that is unacceptable. Do some work. Vote now.
2. We caught a guy taking pictures of our tents last night who said he was with the board and they wanted to know “how many tents we had.”
3. Rainbow Push has opened their doors to us. We sleep here at Push and they have more than accomodated us.

Please know that this is not just about Dyett High School. The courageous men and women who are doing this understand that this fight is about who has a right to excellent public schools and public services. Will we sit back and lose our schools, trauma centers, grocery stores, affordable housing and our lives to state violence or through our actions will we demand that WE DESERVE BETTER? ‪#‎blacklivesmatter‬

Jitu Brown Introductions of Coalition Partners and Hunger Strikers. The Coalition to Revitalize Dyett High School is not one organization. We want to recognize all the organizations and individuals, the best minds that we could And the people that know the issues in this community together to develop this vision for K-12 education in Bronzeville.

Chuy Garcia struggle for quality Public Schools in Chicago, courage of hunger strikers and courage to put their life on the line for the children. Chuy Garcia is moved by the people who truly care about community. When you embark in a hunger fast, as they are doing you place your life in danger…for the children, the community — who care to ensure our children have a quality education.

Jay Travis, a resident of Bronzeville community and a lifelong member of the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. “I want to say today that this is both a matter of We are fighting for CPS to exercise its duty to operate an open-enrollment public High School that is for them!” The decision to under-enroll this school was a decision made of Chicago Public Schools! Under-enrollment is not an excuse. We are not going to accept it. We are placing it all on the line today. It is a matter of political will and racial justice! Jay Travis shares the background and politics of Dyett HS.

Jitu Brown Introductions of Coalition Partners and Hunger Strikers. We do this for love!

Little Village HS Hunger Strikers Caro and Andrea share their soidarity with Dyett Strikers. Sixteen years ago they successfully did a hunger strike for Little Village HS. Carolina speaks of the shared struggle to have high quality schools for our children

Hunger Striker Reverend Robert Jones Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church. It is happening here, in New Orleans, in the city of Detroit, in…and being blamed as though they are responsible for being neglected. “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.” ~Martin Luther King Junior. It is against the violence that It is within this city that is affecting our young people. It is the bullets of bad policy and the knives of injustice that are killing our young people as well as our parents. The city government is curable in this violence!

Prepares conference by chanting by Hunger Strikers. Say and sing it loud. Stand with and for the children and their education. #FightForDyett #WeAreDyett #BlackLivesMatter