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CHICAGO LEGACIES Edna St. Vincent Millay is capable of extracting figs from thistles, but usually thistles simply beget thistles. Below is a list of Chicago luminaries who have made significant, and sometimes unwelcome, contributions to the fabric of America’s political and cultural landscape. o Upton Sinclair — Chicago socialist and author of The Jungle (1906), a negative social commentary on the meat packing industry and the travails of its emigrant work force. Teddy Roosevelt and the American people were shocked at the exposure of unsanitary meat processing conditions, but ignored the human plight. Sinclair was incensed. § Upton Sinclair was also credited with the quote that proved to be true for the 2008 national election: “The American people will take socialism, but they won’t take the label.” A perfect summary of Barack’s and Joe’s popular slogans: “I intend to give a tax break to 95% of the American people,” and, “What’s wrong with wealthy Americans sharing with those less fortunate?” o Dorothy Day — Activist and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, and who may yet be Sainted by the Catholic Church. o Saul Alinski – Chicago author of Rules For Radicals. No doubt Saul, if he were alive today, would be shocked and pleased that the Proletariat had won the White House and that a Worker's Paradise had been achieved. o Studs Terkel — Chicago author, historian, radio commentator o Ed Chambers — Executive Director of the Industrial Areas Foundation (Founded by Saul Alinski) o Wade Rathke & Gary Delgado — Founders of ACORN. Wade departed after his brother embezzled a million dollars from the organization. o Gary Delgado — Co-founder of the Center For Third World Organizing (CTWO) and recipient of the Hellraiser award, issued by Mother Jones magazine. o Walter Annenberg (Not from Chicago) — Former ambassador to the United Kingdom under the Nixon administration and conservative businessman. Billionaire philanthropist and author of the Annenberg Challenge and the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that raised respectively $500 million and ($49.2 million x 3 = $147.6 million) $147.6 million for the Chicago school system to improve and reform central city public education. In the 1980’s Annenberg noted that American Universities attracted the finest students from across the earth but that American elementary and high school educational systems (particularly in central cities) were failing the world standard. Annenberg relied on Vartan Gregorian for advice, calling Gregorian: “The best all-round executive I know. A man of great character and absolute integrity. The most outstanding human being I know.” Gregorian did not require benchmark (test scores) improvements in school systems receiving funds — a major error. Gregorian selected civic teams to serve various cities, and selected Anne Hallet and Warren Chapman for Chicago, who in turn selected Weatherman Bill Ayers to assist. Ayres was then an associate professor of Chicago University. Except for being an unrepentant Honest-to-God bomb throwing radical, Ayers had accumulated an impressive pedigree as co-director of the Small Schools Workshop, co-director of the Chicago Forum for School Change, chairman of the Alliance for Better Chicago Schools, former Chicago assistant deputy mayor for education; that he was brother to John Ayers, executive director of Leadership for Quality Education; and son of Thomas Ayers, former chairman and CEO of Commonwealth Edison (one of the largest public utilities in the US) and former vice president of the Chicago School Board. Bill Ayers got the money ($147.6 million). He planned for its distribution, directed the philosophy for its use (likely a different vision from Walter’s), and selected the Chicago Annenberg Challenge’s first chairman and president, Barack Obama, a man who now can barely remember the name of Bill Ayers. In 2002 George W. Bush held a reception at the White House, lauding Annenberg’s good work. However a year later in August of 2003, the Annenberg Challenge released its final technical report that observed: “…among the schools it supported, the Challenge had little impact on school improvement and student outcomes, with no statistically significant differences between Annenberg and non-Annenberg schools in rates of achievement gain, classroom behavior, student self-efficacy, and social competence.” Bill Ayers and Barack Obama grabbed the money and spent it. They accomplished “…no achievement gain” in the schools, the reason for the money, but successfully and substantially advanced their own political agenda. They also advanced community organizing to a fine new level. The smart one who came before them, Saul David Alinski, would have been proud. |