Hot Take: I think Chicago street gang history should be taught in some CPS schools.

I first learned gang handshakes in the 3rd grade. I didn't know anything about those organizations, how they developed, why they developed, and what are the implications of affiliation. I was just told not to join gangs. I think youth should be informed as early as they practice.

I once co-facilitated a group of teens boys. They were all gang-affiliated (or at least claimed to be) but knew nothing about the leader of the organization they claimed to be in allegiance to. Didn't even know what part of town he was from. I assume they picked it up as I did.

And it's a rich history. You can't talk criminality or organized crime without discussing the city's politics—racist politicians, redlining, gentrification, and disinvestment. I think it can be empowering, actually.

You can talk about activism too. MLK needed protection when he came to Chicago from the Vice Lords. Larry Hoover had a voter registration campaign with the slogan "Yes we can" before Obama. Jeff Fort organized a protest after King's assassination at Mt. Caramel High School.

I didn't say it had to be taught by "teachers", just in CPS schools.

https://twitter.com/Kilpatkaepernik/status/1299366656674758662?s=20

Hell, hire the formerly incarcerated to do it.
Pay a living wage too.

THIS IS MY RADICAL IMAGINATION!

I'm not talking about a romanticization of these organizations either, just the truth. Youth can know the positive and negative effects on the community.

Shoutout to the teachers who go out of their way to do this though. You are appreciated and I hope you're acknowledged.