A Grandmother’s Plea For Justice – Education is a Human

Photograph; Irene Robinson (left) waits with granddaughter Akilra Roberts for the bus. Because the bus only runs at the beginning and end of the regular school day, Akilra has trouble getting home from after-school activities. (Armando L. Sanchez / Hechinger Report)

Perhaps you have met Irene Robinson before. She is a grandmother who lives in Bronzeville, a historic Black neighborhood located in the South Side of the City of Chicago. Irene is a Mom, a grandparent too who, on school days, while their parents are at work, takes care of 6 of her grandchildren. Irene is not just any parent or grand who wants the best for her young. She is a fighter, or perhaps a lover forced into this newer role.

Irene will tell you, ‘Our Children are in danger,’ their future looks grim, ‘We need sustainable solutions, not school closings.’ Sure, you can Extend the School Days, but that has proven to be a Lot Harder Than It Seems. Band-Aids are not the answer.

Ms Robinson will tell you, she does not stand alone. The Bronzeville community, the area most affected by the wave of school closings, is deeply committed to their Public Schools It is a family tradition. Neighborhood schools are the heart and the hearth. Parents are involved. For Irene, her children, and now grandchildren Overton Elementary is a second home. To loose the school is to loose a love. This is a Journey for Justice. And as grandparent Irene Robinson says, “We Are On It!”

Irene says, together let us Reclaim the Promise of Public Education. Please hear her plea. Let our children not be forgotten!

A Grandmother’s Plea For Justice – Education is a Human Right

My name is Irene Robinson. I am a grandmother of nine grandchildren that was effected by the closure of these Chicago Public SCHOOLS. I been part of Antony Overton School for around 25 years. All My children went there. Overton have always been my children second home. Some children first home. There are so much love, in memories in that school. The Principles, Teachers and staff ,alone with the Parents We all work together for what was best for our children. We support one another. We have so much Joys at Overton. We also have cry together. Overton was the heart of our community. Now it is gone. My grandchildren lost their School, Teachers, some friends. They a subject in a whole new environment. The Parents are very upset, and hurt that our city is allowing this type of discriminate against our Black Children, and Families that live in low-income communities.

My Grandchildren along with thousands of others Children has been denied from getting a good Education, in a Safe and healthy environment to learn. The Parents was powerless when it came to the closing of our Schools. Our Mayor and the Board of Education have been disrespectful and very dishonesty to the Parents, Teachers and the Public. The didn’t think about our Children, Education or their Safety. By closing the School they directly put our Children in danger, and darken their Future, By attacking their Right to a good Education. Our Children have been left behind. Out in the Cold.

The Mayor and the Board is wrong. They never Plan to Save our School, or to put Money into Our Schools, or our Community.

Irene Robinson approaches Mollison Elementary with two of her 13 grandchildren

The Mayor along with the Board stated, the School was closing because of the Building was in poor condition, Under Utilize, low test scores. That not our children Fault. Some one need to be help accountable, and be Fired for it. But our Children shouldn’t have to pay the price for this. The Mayor didn’t invest a dime in our Children Future. Yet he spend millions destroying their lives. I wait right outside of Overton now in the cold with my grandbabies for the bus. My grandson cry wan ting to go to his School. Others Children sometime tell my Children their School was Murder. My grandchildren, are feeling hurt, Rejected. This is wrong, Mentally and Physical. Our Children is hurt by the closing of these Schools. How can they Focus on learning when they are dealing with so many Emotions, uprooting them from their Schools, attacking their Education. Every Child have a right to a good Education, to be Safe, and Feeling Comfortable in their Schools. Our Children have been place directly in danger.

Some one needs to be held accountable for this. The Mayor acted by closing the Schools, have force our Children to be in over crowed classrooms , no room for Parents at Mollison School, the receiving schools for My grandchildren. The lunchroom is now the Kg class which initially had 52 Children in the Lunch Room turned Kindergarten. The gym Room is now the Lunchroom. The Children still use it for the gym. When the Kg classes are being interrupted by some of the classes they must walk through the Kg room in order to get to Lunch.

Our Children is not getting their higher quality of Learning. We need your support. By voting for an elected School Board, so our Children will be Protected from such an attack on their Education. I feel that our Children have been discriminate against.

The Mayor and Board of Education are discriminatory against the Black Children, Family that live in low income community. They are closing our schools and pushing us out of our community. The Mayor didn’t invest a dime in our schools. But yet he spend over 12 million in closing our schools. The Mayor gave 100 Million dollars to De Paul University, which came out of our Children’s TIFF Money. He Gave another 17 million dollars to Walter Payton School and another 20 million dollars to Lincoln Park school. That total around 149 Million Dollars that he gave to schools Why Our Schools or our Children didn’t receive anything. I know at least a 120 Million dollars of it was TIFF money.

I know the public do not agree with him. The close Schools should be open and Welcoming our Children. Not pushing out. Our Children don’t deserve that. No Child should be going through what My Grandchildren in many others Children. The hurting. They afraid, in it killing Me inside to see them being Mistreated. How can We say that We want to prevent the Violence, when we don’t stop it before it Build up in these Children, that are being left behind, What our Mayor have done to our Children was Violence act against Us, Our Children and Our Community. We must stop this. Reopen those Schools. Our Children have that Right. Please Support. The Mayor want Charter Schools, our Children didn’t have first choice of School. We was f to go to receiving Schools. So that in a few years the Board will be closing them. They are setting up our Children for Failure.

Dr Martin Luther King and many Other Fought long and hard so that We could have School and a Right to an Education. King and Many others die for our Rights. Just think if they would have stop fighting for Us, where would we be today. They lead the way for our Future. These Schools Represent the Legacy of Love and History of the peoples who gave there all for US and Our Children. We can’t let anyone destroy it or disrespect the memories of them. Please as a mother this is wrong for them to close those Schools. I may be just a Grandmother, But I am a mother to all Children I need the Public help Us, and Fighting for the Reopening of our School, with the money put in our School. If the Board, and Mayor denied US, than I ask the Teacher’s Union along with the Public to Support the Closing School by helping Me to Organize a strike, by providing places and Resources, and things we may need to teach our own Children. We will not allow our Children to attend the Receiving Schools anymore. I asking that the Parents for the close School to Join Me in Fighting for Our Children’s Right.

Education is a Human Right.
We need your support

Irene Robinson has six grandchildren who now ride the school bus from the shuttered Overton to Mollison. She says the children are frustrated by the crowded bus rides and that older students sometimes pick on the younger children. The six grandchildren, ages four to 12, were enrolled in Overton last year. Her home, where the kids stay during the week while their parents work, is across the street from the school.