Opinion

OUR VIEW

Another new contract?

For the third time in just two years, the school board at Proviso Township High School District 209 has lavished a still richer, still more protective contract on Supt. James Henderson.

We find it inexplicable and we find it disgraceful.

Just two years ago, with a sorry and dubious record as a school administrator bouncing among districts before skedaddling, this school board unanimously hired Henderson from a failed district in Mississippi. That contract was for three years and paid a generous but fair wage.

A year ago with Henderson under deserved fire from many sources, the board approved a new contract, this one for five years and loaded with ups and extras.

Now, as the district comes off a long, divisive teachers strike, a narrow board majority ripped up that contract and replaced it with a new five-year deal with an additional $31,000 annuity. More significantly, though, this contract guarantees a three-year payout if the superintendent is dismissed for any reason.

That’s a guarantee his sorry performance to date in no way warrants. Board member Rodney Alexander defended that job assurance as necessary because Henderson has been subjected to “personal attacks, discrimination and sheer hatred.” Further, he said, “once your name is sullied” it is hard to find a new job.

James Henderson arrived in this district with his name already sullied. The board failed in its due diligence two years ago and now a flippable majority is guaranteeing his employment.

This will not end well.

Shared e orts, shared values

Two stories this week reflect the power and the grace of collaboration among local villages that have not previously been aligned.

On page one we celebrate the growth of Juneteenth as a new national holiday, but one with a strong local history in Forest Park where Mayor Rory Hoskins, a native of Galveston, Texas, has championed its recognition for 14 years with the annual Juneteenth pool party.

This year the Juneteenth recognition grew exponentially with four towns — Forest Park, Broadview, Oak Park and River Forest — jointly planning a West Villages Parade, Oak Park celebrating with a barbeque in Taylor Park, House Speaker Chris Welch hosting a Juneteenth Fathers’ Day barbeque, and Broadview capping off a three-day Juneteenth weekend with fireworks.

We also report this week on these same four villages signing on to the Cross-Community Climate Collaborative (C4). This critical work will focus shared local efforts on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working together on other environmental projects.

This proposal was spearheaded by Katrina Thompson, the go-getter mayor of Broadview. And rightly, it reflects and acknowledges the equity issues that climate change imposes, particularly on communities of color and with lesser investment and incomes.

Our future is shared. From learning the lessons Juneteenth can teach us to taking on local responsibility for our climate, we will do better when we work together.

OPINION

Does D209 need a stand-alone Black History course?

Does anyone know who Justin Dart was?

The Black History course just completed its first lap around the D209 curriculum. Dart was not Black, but I will reference him later in the piece to give perspective on the importance of a stand-alone course focusing on African Americans.

When I interviewed D209 administrators a few years ago, the consensus was that a required-for-graduation course on Black history was not necessary, because Black history and culture had already been integrated into American History and English Literature courses.

But that, argued D209 board member Rodney Alexander and PTMAN Chairman Reginald Saffo, was not enough. Hispanics brought with them their religion, language and culture when they crossed the Rio Grande and headed north.

When Africans were brought here in the Middle Passage, all of that was taken away, with lasting effects to this day. That’s why, Alexander and Saffo argued, a course on Black history not only needs to be taught at Proviso East but should be required for graduation, even though Hispanics now comprise the majority at the school. According to the Illinois Report Card from the 2019-2020 school year, about 59% of District 209 students are Latino, 36% are Black and 2% are white.

That is also why Supt. James Henderson made getting a required Black history course into the high school curriculum a top priority when he became the D209 superintendent about two years ago. To that end he assembled a group including professionals, community leaders, ministers from PTMAN, and people like Barbara Cole, founder of the Maywood Youth Mentoring Program.

After exploring options the group recommended adoption of a program called BH365.

I have a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and in a former life taught social studies for three years. In my judgment, the Black history course with its textbook BH365 is a good one. I sat in a classroom where the course was being taught and the students were engaged.

I am a member of a minority cohort, the disability community, which comprises 12.7% of this country’s population under 65. If you include old codgers like me, you’re talking about one in four.

I’ll bet a hundred dollars that you didn’t know who Justin Dart was. He’s the equivalent of Dr. King in the disability rights movement. Talk about a victimized minority. Talk about an under-told story. When you talk about a victimized group, it’s easy to get into a “one-downsmanship” exchange. Who was treated worse? Blacks, people with disabilities, women, Native Americans, LGBTQ+, Italians, Irish, Jews all experienced discrimination. Some assimilated because they were considered white. Although I’m white, my blue walker and slurred speech make it impossible for me to

TOM “pass” as being “normal.” What I’m advocating is not pity from HOLMES anyone, and I’m not pushing for separate courses on all of the above. I don’t mind the course Black History course as a temporary affirmative action tactic. I took a Negro History course at Tuskegee Institute in 1968 and found it helpful. But my goal is integration. I suppose you can argue that integration is impossible until equity is achieved, but I don’t want to wait that long. I think Dr. Nicole Howard and the other D209 administrators who had already integrated Black history and culture in the district’s American History and English literature classes were pursuing a better way forward. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was never pictured in a wheelchair. Seventy years later, we have no problem watching Tammy Duckworth wheel around the capitol. “Implementing a full course,” wrote Bishop Saffo to Dr. Howard, “would cast a light on our [Black] experience in this nation and explain the complexities of how we survived and made great strides against all odds. Moreover, we and all students would benefit from the lessons that would emerge from our history. Ours is an American story of triumph over tragedy.” Amen, Dr. Saffo, and so would courses on persons with disabilities, women, Natives, and LGBTQ, in addition to all the STEM courses, competence in which is necessary for scoring above average on achievement exams. I for one don’t want the spotlight shining on me. What I want is to be part of the group picture. The Chamber of Commerce here lets me lead the prayer at the monthly luncheon even though they have to work a little harder to understand my slurred speech. They encourage me to do it, not because I’m special but simply because I’m part of the team.

FOREST P ARK REVIEW

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What I did, and didn’t do, that summer

Looking ahead to vacation, I decided to look back as well, to my vacation column from July 2013: My essay is titled, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.” On my summer vacation, my family took me to a cottage in Union Pier, Michigan. On our way to the cottage, I wouldn’t stop asking, “When are we going to get there?” even though I was driving. I couldn’t wait to play with my toys, especially my 5-iron. I also wanted some sand toys but they wouldn’t buy them for me. My grandson promised to share his shovel and bucket with me.

When we got to our small cottage, it was crowded. We had 10-15 big people staying there. My wife and I were forced to share a skinny bed. No wonder I had nightmares that I was falling. My dreams scared me so much I got up early to make coffee. When I was banging around in the kitchen, I woke up the people sleeping in the living room and they got mad at me.

So I rode my bike all by myself to the beach. When I got there, people were staring at me. I think it was because I wore my shirt, baseball cap and socks when I went swimming. I wasn’t taking any chances with getting sunburn. It was so hot out, I wanted Lake Michigan to be cold. But the water was warm, especially where the little kids were swimming. I got scared being at the beach by myself. I was worried the big people wouldn’t get there in time with the cooler of beer. They finally came and brought me a bucket for building sand castles. I was making these really cool towers but my grandson kept knocking them down. When I started fighting him for the shovel, they gave me a time-out.

After I was done swimming, I went to the golf course. I used my sand club so much, it was just like playing at the beach. Afterward, I drove back to the cottage to cool off. They had used the last beer to boil bratwurst, so I went to the local store to buy more. There were real-life pirates behind the counter charging scary prices.

At night, I wanted to play Monopoly but

the big people only liked playing games for real money. One night, I finally got my way and picked Battleship. I was having fun until I picked up a card that made me go directly to Boardwalk and stay in an expensive hotel. I got so mad the big people made me go to bed without a bottle. The next morning, they made me eat a bratwurst omelet. I yelled that I wanted Lucky Charms and they warned me, “One JOHN more tantrum and we’re taking you to the Amtrak station.” I didn’t want to leave the RICE cottage, the beach and especially the cooler. So I ate all their yucky food. They put onions on everything but my pancakes. The last day, I was really sad. I liked looking at the trees around our cottage, instead of telephone wires. I had a swing set and a sandbox to play in during the day. At night, they even let me play with fire. When it was time to leave, I refused to get into the car. Then they told me we were going to a magical place where the air always smells like candy: a town where there was no bedtime and I could play until 2 a.m. They promised to take me to a playground on Madison Street. It not only had beer, it had a choo choo that brought out my food!

A L OOK BA CK IN TIME

Lazy Lion Pancake House

Hundreds of people came out to the Lazy Lion Pancake House opening on June 28, 1965. The A-frame building at 8300 Roosevelt Road along the Des Plaines River was a popular breakfast and lunch spot for nearly 20 years. In the mid-1980s it was converted and renovated for Riveredge Hospital outpatient care and later became a senior center called River Park Center. Tucked behind the building are 24 apartment units that were also built in the mid-1960s. In 1986, volunteers filled sandbags to prevent the Des Plaines from reaching the building.

Jill Wagner

e Lazy Lion Pancake House at 8300 Roosevelt Road served breakfast, lunch and “a er-theatre snacks.” ey boasted a complete soda fountain, pancakes, steaks, chicken salad and sandwiches in their 1965 open house. (Ad in the Forest Park Review)