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Im a native of Oak Park, and attended preschool through high school in the public school district.
Ill be honest: I thought about avoidingAmerica to Mealtogether.
This impasse is harmful.
Despite Oak Parks values, it is not a vacuum.
It is impacted by the same institutional racism that is built into the very fabric of the nation.
Good intentions cant escape the overarching narratives about race that saturate our culture.
Everyone should be forced to watch a documentary about their high school a decade after they graduated.
I seamlessly entered honors-level classes because I had been tracked as gifted beginning in early elementary school.
All three operate with race and class inherently linked to how they are perceived by community members.
My corner of Oak Park is filled with Black Lives Matter and Hate has no home here placards.
I know that the community is invested in equity, butAmerica to Meshould serve as a wake-up call.
What I want is for the community to have honest conversations with an urgent intent to act.
If not Oak Park, where?
If not now, when?
