A Letter to a Leader
A check in your wallet does you very little good. It represents an opportunity, sure, but not action. Most of us are carrying around a check, an opportunity to make an impact, to do the work...that would make a difference. Seth Godin
There is a common belief that only some people are “born leaders.” But is this truly the case? This much is certain—we are all born shivering, naked and cold into a world that is frightening and unfamiliar. Yes, each one of us is born unique. Yes, each one of us is blessed (or burdened) with talent and skills as varied as our fingerprints. But each one of us has the ability to make an impact, to contribute an idea, to do some work that would make a difference. And whether we do so is not, contrary to popular opinion, a matter of ability. It is a matter of choice. ************* Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.” As a community, the City of Evanston is confronted with an opportunity, right now, to build a school for the children of the 5th Ward. The 5th Ward has not had a neighborhood school school since 1967. But if this is to happen, if the dream of a school in the 5th Ward, now long deferred, is to be made real, we need help. We need leaders to emerge. We need the physical presence of concerned citizens at school board and committee meetings to show District 65 leadership that the larger Evanston community is committed to the ideals of equal educational opportunity for all. The 5th Ward is home to the City of Evanston’s largest African-American population. The 5th Ward is also the only community in the City of Evanston that does not have its own elementary school. Every other child in every other community in the City of Evanston can attend a neighborhood school of their choice. But not the children of the 5th Ward. We need people who will distribute information on why we need a 5th Ward school. Each year, between 400 and 600 children are bused out of the 5th Ward in order to attend elementary school. No other community in the City of Evanston separates every single one of its youngest children, not only from their neighborhood but also from each other, and calls this progress. Research studies consistently show that neighborhood schools reduce the achievement gap, produce improved student outcomes and bridge socioeconomic differences. Neighborhood schools also provide a key focal point for a community and serve as an anchor for a neighborhood. We need the moral authority of the most stable institution in our community, the church. The clergy here in the City of Evanston are committed, compassionate and socially active. We need
your engagement, your prayers and your voices of support. Because these are your children as well. They sit in your pews, they attend your Sunday schools, they look to you for guidance and direction. Opportunity knocks for all of us. But if we fail to act... It leaves. As a community, we are now presented with an opportunity to act. The District 65 School Board has formed a New School Committee charged with determining the feasibility of building a school in the 5th Ward. Firm and final decisions about a 5th Ward school will be made over the next several months. This is not a marathon, but a sprint to the finish line. The process will be over by June. So it seems, my friends, that tomorrow is today and we are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. Will you help us rally around the children of the 5th Ward? We sincerely hope so. Because, as so powerfully and poignantly noted by acclaimed scientist and poet Jacob Bronowski, the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye. The hand is the cutting edge of the mind. For more information on what you can do or how you can help, please visit our website 5thwardschool.com. Thank you, one and all, for your time, consideration and support.
In the search for solutions... You might be the missing piece.
A School for the 5th Ward