Vote for mayor who values work educators do for students
I’m a mother of three Black children, a wife, an educator, a unionist, a homeowner, a taxpayer and a community member, and this election matters to me. Of course, every election matters, but there are times in history when some matter more than others. And for the city of Chicago, this is that moment.
I want fully funded public schools for my three children and for all Chicago children. I want them to love school and explore the arts, sports and world languages — all the things children in the suburbs and in Chicago’s elite public schools take for granted. I want them to think critically, be well rounded and have compassion for those in need.
I also want safe streets, free not only from violent crime but also from abuse at the hands of unconstitutional policing. I want to be able to send my children out to play or ride their bikes and not fear for their lives, and I want that same security for other mothers. I do not want our families and children living in fear.
I want a city that builds community and brings people together instead of driving them apart with racist dog whistles. I want a city that provides housing for the unhoused and mental health services for those in need, a city that prioritizes treatment not trauma. I want a city guided by love and support for its people.
As a teacher, I want a nurse, social worker and librarian in every school. I want schools that serve students most in need to get more resources, not fewer, and I want educators to be valued for the professionals they are. I want this basic fact acknowledged: that the working conditions of teachers are the learning conditions of students.
For the last decade, educators in this city have been raising their voices to win more resources for our students and more investments in our school communities.
Why must we have these same fights in 2023? Why is wanting a nurse and a social worker in every school a radical demand? Why can’t we accept what other successful cities understand, that robust public services are the best way to provide public safety? And why do we have candidates in this race promising more of the same?
Our city is at a crossroads. We can go forward with a mayor who values the work we do for our students and the city of Chicago. We can choose a mayor who will work collaboratively with stakeholders to reverse the disinvestment our Black and brown communities have suffered for generations. We can choose a mayor who believes in public accommodations and is guided by the power of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of the labor and civil rights movements working together to secure justice for all.
On Tuesday, we commemorate the anniversary of King’s assassination, and fittingly in Chicago, we will have our chance to choose a new mayor. Seeing that my kids will be on spring break, I had already made a plan to vote early. I urge everyone to engage and examine the candidates and find the one who values your existence and all its intersections.
As a mother, wife, homeowner and educator, I have picked a candidate who I feel values my intersections and will build a stronger Chicago, for all. I have picked a candidate who values the work I do and the neighborhood in which I choose to raise my family. I have picked a candidate I believe will keep my children and my family safe.
As a city, we must choose someone who values all of us and centers the people in the city’s policymaking. Together, we can choose that mayor. We must choose that mayor because the future of our city is at stake.