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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION CONGRATULATING ROBERTO CLEMENTE COMMUNITY ACADEMY ON 50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
WHEREAS, in 1974, the Tuley High School building closed, and the school was moved across the street to a new facility; and
WHEREAS, the students successfully demanded for the new school be named after Roberto Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirates' right-fielder from Puerto Rico who earned multiple accolades as a National Baseball Hall of Fame baseball player and humanitarian. Clemente died in December 1972 in the crash of a plane he had chartered to take emergency relief to the survivors of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua; and
WHEREAS, the students, parents, and community activists also successfully fought for new school leadership and curriculum that reflected the values and principles of their local community and Puerto Rican Chicago; and
WHEREAS, these groups continue to support the fight for equity within their school and the Chicago Public Schools system. This effort is further institutionalized by the high school's integration of parents and local community members into the school as mentors, tutors, and support staff; and
WHEREAS, Roberto Clemente Community Academy is a cornerstone of the Humboldt Park and West Town community. They work with local community organizations like the Puerto Rican Cultural Center to build educational systems outside of traditional academia, pushing to educate not only their students, but also the parents by offering technology training and financial literacy classes; and
WHEREAS, Roberto Clemente Community Academy continually strives to uplift its students by becoming an International Baccalaureate school in 2015, allowing its students to enroll in college-level courses thus nurturing their opportunity for intellectual development; and
WHEREAS, the Roberto Clemente Community Academy leadership, faculty, students, and staff all work to defy the barriers brought about by structural racism in U.S. society and educ...
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