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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING STUDENTS OF THE SOCIAL JUSTICE HIGH SCHOOL OF THE LITTLE VILLAGE LAWNDALE HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS EFFORTS TO ACHIVE SOCIAL FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY
WHEREAS, on May 13th, 2001, fourteen community residents of Little Village neighborhood staged a nineteen day hunger strike demanding the construction of a new high school that had been promised, but was put on hold for monetary reasons; and
WHEREAS, four years later, the Little Village and Lawndale High School (LVLHS) campus opened its doors to four hundred students; and
WHEREAS, during construction of the LVLHS campus, parents stressed wanting all the children who graduate from the new high school never to forget the physical, spiritual, and communal struggle it took to achieve justice; and
WHEREAS, out of this desire the Social Justice High School (SOJO) became the fourth school at the LVLHS campus; and
WHEREAS, SOJO’s students have chosen to aid historically neglected communities such as the ones affected by Hurricane Katrina and rehabbed homes in New Orleans, LA; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, SOJO’s students waged a sit-in, walked out, and planned “days of silence,” refusing to talk in class after the district removed the principal, fired two English teachers and eliminated three AP classes; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the student protest and sustained outcry, the district conceded and reinstated the principal, both English teachers and the AP classes; and
WHEREAS, in Spring of 2014, a collective group of diverse learners, bilingual and other student participants in the Becoming a Man (BAM) program began a campaign to lend tribute to César Chávez’s legacy by asking government agencies to declare “A Day of Service” in his honor; and
WHEREAS, SOJO’s students embody the high school’s seven essential values: unity, respect, self-discipline, excellence, service, honest & ownership, and being prompt & prepared; and
WHEREAS, SOJO’s students constantly learn to achieve their personal, academic and social journeys into adulthood while upholding the values that brought SOJO into existence.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Commissioners of Cook County that the Board does hereby offer its congratulations to the students of the Social Justice High School at the Little Village and Lawndale High School Campus for their continuous efforts to achieve social fairness and equality; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and a suitable copy be presented to the Social Justice High School at the Little Village and Lawndale High School Campus.
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