Communities In Schools of Chicago is an asset-based organization. We believe in the inherent goodness and potential of all people. It is an ethos we share with CIS affiliates across America. Racism and brutalism in any form is antithetical to who we aspire to be as a nation and as a people.
We join the country in mourning the loss of George Floyd, just as we mourned the tragic and unwarranted deaths of so many other African American men and women who we now know by first name: Trayvon. Sandra. Breonna. Philando. Laquan.
The vision of our organization is to ensure that every Chicago Public Schools student graduates from high school prepared for success. Because Chicago, like every American city, has a legacy of segregation and structural racism, our work in carrying out that vision is focused on supporting students of color who live in vibrant but often fragile communities.
Many of our students must overcome significant obstacles to achieve their diploma. We tell them that if they work hard and graduate, a world of possibilities awaits them. Racism and murder cannot continue to be one of those possibilities.
Our heart goes out to the family of George Floyd, and we commit to doing our part to make our country a more tolerant and equitable place for our children to grow up in.
This statement was initially shared on CIS of Chicago’s Instagram and LinkedIn accounts on May 30, 2020.
