Editor’s Note: This is a condensed version of Samantha Smylie’s speech to the 2018 graduating class at John Hope High School in Chicago. Hope is one of the
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It’s 5:45 a.m. on a Monday in mid-August. The year is 2006 and my mom is rapping on my bedroom door. “Julien! Time to get up Ju, you have school in an hour
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Outrage: Who’s Protecting Our Kids Why does a fifth-grader have to go to her school board to beg for protection from bullies? “Hi my name is Delanie. I’m h
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Three people, two tragedies and one college visit shaped April Austin’s post-secondary dream of becoming an occupational therapist. Growing up, April’s gra
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As a young man in Chicago, I can tell you that sometimes, being listened to is all you need. It can open the door to a whole new way of being. In elementar
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Ivy Box currently serves as the chief executive officer of Voice T.H.E. Movement, Inc., which hosts an annual empowermen
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Last year, several of my talented, dedicated colleagues of color announced they were leaving our school, and the news hit some students hard. “Black teache
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