Christopher Schroeder

Category: community and culture

  • Johnson’s Latest

    The latest from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is something even for him.

    He couldn’t convince his self-appointed Chicago Board of Education members to fire the Chicago Public Schools CEO after he wouldn’t endorse a $300-million loan for a pension payment and part of upcoming contract obligations in the middle of Chicago Teachers Union contract negotiations. Then these members announced their simultaneous resignations just months before Johnson loses some CPS control in the transition to an elected education board.

    Local and state politicians have expressed their alarm over this mass resignation. This outcome can only exacerbate the leadership challenges cited by the CPS CEO Pedro Martinez as why he rejected J’s resignation request.

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  • Secularism Indeed

    I had an unexpected experience at a recent secularism and literature mini-symposium.

    This event, which was moderated by the UIC English Department Head, included three other presenters, two local and one with some Chicago connection. The moderator offers initial observations, the presenters read papers aloud, and then the audience asked questions.

    I am genuinely interested in functions for literature beyond literary studies journals and college English classrooms. I expected something about secularism and literature in the present tense. What I got unexpectedly intrigued and repulsed me.

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  • Promoting Public Possibilities

    I attended earlier this week the People Powered Policy Panel, which was a Chicago Public Library event to explore a public options platform generally and specifically municipally-owned grocery stores and public banking initiatives.

    Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the audience. Then local media maven Sylvia Ewing moderated a conversation among sociologist Ruha Benjamin, community activist Dorian Warren, and city policy chief Mayumi Grigsby.

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