On October 19, 36 days after the sit in began, CPS CEO Ron Huberman finally granted the parents a meeting. He agreed to save the field and use the $356,000 allocated for demolition to renovate the structure. He also promised to build a library inside the school and lease out the field house to the Whittier Parents Committee for a $1 annual fee. Huberman gave the parents a signed letter outlining the terms of an agreement. On October 28, the parents called off the sit-in but continue to push for \u201cLa Casita\u201d to be converted into a library because they know there\u2019s not enough room inside the school. Donkowski reports:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fight continues so that we can ensure that we have a quality education for all children!\u201d the Whittier Parents Committee declared on October 28.<\/p>\n

For many parents in the community, the sit-in offered a chance to educate future generations. \u201cI\u2019m teaching [my kids that] they need to stand up for their rights,\u201d says parent Araceli Gonzalez.\u00a0\u201dIf they see other people that are trying to get something good for them, go ahead and help.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was also a learning opportunity for Gonzalez.\u00a0\u201dI\u2019m forty-six-years-old and I\u2019ve never done this in my life,\u201d she says. \u00a0\u201dIt\u2019s never too late to start.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On a personal note, about twenty years ago I lived in the Pilsen neighborhood. At that time I was touched by the fierce devotion the Mexican American residents had to their families, their children, and to their community. Above all, they desperately wanted their kids to get a good education. It was that strong sense of community and purpose that allowed them to spontaneously organize the sit-in at Whittier and then support each other for over a month. They were afraid but did it anyway. I\u2019m not surprised they had the courage to go up against CPS, and I\u2019m not surprised they won.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On September 15 of this year, police surrounded a field house at Whittier Dual-Language Elementary School in Chicago\u2019s Pilsen neighborhood. Andy Donakowski of In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255,6],"tags":[2505,2482,1224],"yoast_head":"\n