Four School Rally Just the Beginning for Educators For Students

JOLIET - Durell Shirley and his family, Sade, twins Evalyn and Ethan, 7 and Elyce, 3, came to the Educators for Students rally on June 13. Although they are not teachers, they were supporting the cause.

"We just drove past, he said of the rally at Richards and 4th Streets in Joliet. "My kids all go to Keith School."

Shirley was referring to Edna Keith School, which is located behind Washington Junior High & Academy, where one of four rallies was taking place.

Educators for Students is a group of about 10 teachers and school staff who wanted to do something to show their support of Black and African-American students.

Laura Jackson has been a teacher at Singleton Elementary for eight years and started the group.

Rallies took place at the following locations: the corner of Ingalls Avenue and Larkin, Hufford Junior High; Jefferson Street and Midland Avenue, Dirksen Junior High; Briggs Street and Washington Street - Gompers Junior High (this location is in front of Culbertson for traffic flow issues. And 4th Street and Richards Street- Washington Junior High & Academy.

The organization has partnered with Joliet Township High School and is planning two marches - one from Edna Keith Elementary to Joliet Central High School and back and one from Hufford Middle School to Joliet West High School and back again.

"We have elicited help from Joliet Township High School Community in hopes they will join us in building bridges in the community between these educators," Jackson said. "We are excited at the relationships being built because our future endeavors hope to create small and intimate safe spaces for educators to be vulnerable in and learn and grow together in."

The march to Joliet Central will be on July 11 and the one to Joliet West will be on Aug. 1. There will be speakers and the march will conclude with participants kneeling for 8 minutes, 46 seconds.

For more information, visit Educators for Students on Facebook.