Eve L. Ewing, Ed.D.
Writer, cultural organizer, and Associate Professor at the University of Chicago
Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side
In the spring of 2013, approximately 12,000 children in Chicago received notice that their last day of school would be not only the final day of the year, but also the final day of their school’s very existence. The nation’s third largest school district would eventually shutter 53 schools, citing budget limitations, building underutilization, and concerns about academic performance. Of the thousands of displaced students, 94% were low-income and 88% were African-American.
Ghosts in the Schoolyard tells the story of these school closings, from their unfolding to their aftermath, in Bronzeville, a historically significant African-American community on the South Side of Chicago. The book details the resistance efforts of the residents of Bronzeville, inspired by the legacy of a storied past and driven to fight back against the malfeasance and disregard of city political leaders. But at its core, this is a book about what schools really mean to Americans and to African-Americans in particular, beyond the brick and mortar that compose them or the test scores and graduation rates that garner the most public attention.

Upcoming Events
Robin Hood Math: Take Control of the Algorithms That Run Your Life
Noah Giansiracusa, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics at Bentley University
Karen Saxe, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Government Relations, American Mathematical Society
ON ZOOM
Validation: Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and Change Your Life
Caroline Fleck, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist, Author, and Corporate Consultant
Kelly Leonard
Vice President, Creative Strategy, Innovation, and Business Development at The Second City
ON ZOOM
FAN Roundtable Workshop: Dealing with Feeling (Event 1 of 4)
Marc Brackett, Ph.D.
Founding director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and professor, Child Study Center, Yale University
Glenview Public Library Community Room
Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).