I am excited to congratulate Ebony DeBerry on becoming our elected member of the Chicago Board of Education. I have absolute confidence that she will continue to prioritize our schools, as she has done for decades. 

I am deeply proud of the campaign we ran. I set out to make sure that our city does not continue to stand for a board of education without direct, lived disability experience. There has never been a member of the Board of Education who is a person with disabilities. I remain committed to disability justice and will fight to see that change.

The campaign was better because we were in it. As the only current CPS parent on the ballot, we insisted that parents need a seat at the table, we built a policy-led campaign, and we centered all of our work in the experiences of those most impacted by our systems. This is how we reimagine.

A dear friend and longtime education organizer shared with me that, “Historians say that revolutions are fomented by 15% of the population. Not huge majorities, not large electorates. 15% of a group who is willing to loudly demand what we deserve when it’s not popular. Thank you for starting to build that 15% in district 2.”

I will continue to co-create community within and across the schools of district 2 and to relentlessly fight for the education our kids deserve.