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Support the Black Excellence and Equity Fund

Thank you for your interest in the Seven Strong Speaker Series. We hope you will consider making an optional donation to support City Colleges of Chicago Foundation's Black Excellence and Equity Fund. Our Black Excellence and Equity Fund creates a safety net for students, eliminating barriers to their academic success and ensuring an equitable space for them to flourish.

Session Overview

Why do Black men comprise only 2 percent of the U.S. teaching force in American public schools? It is imperative to recruit, train and educate more Black male educators to ensure all student success, but especially Black student success. Having a teacher of the same race/ethnicity can have positive impacts on a student’s attitudes, motivation, and achievement. In this panel, moderated by Xavier Ramey, CEO of Justice Informed, Chris Goins, Chief of Equity at Thrive Chicago, Truman College President Shawn L. Jackson, and Chief Engagement Officer Michael Strautmanis of the Obama Foundation will examine the importance of this imperative and how to scale the work to ensure Black male student success.

MODERATOR

SPEAKERS

City Colleges is on the cutting edge of prioritizing equity and empowering our students - and you can help. Your donation will directly impact the work City Colleges is already doing to support a diverse student body as they overcome barriers to success through initiatives including:

City Colleges of Chicago Foundation Scholarships: A wide range of both academic and need-based scholarships are available through the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation.
College-based Services and Resources: From food pantries to mental health support, students can get the help they need to concentrate on their studies and be successful.
Chicago Roadmap (Announced June 2020): An unprecedented effort to create the strongest-ever relationship with the Chicago Public Schools that puts Chicago students on a seamless path to and through college. Through game-changing equity goals, the Roadmap will remove barriers to higher education measured by post-secondary enrollment, post-secondary completion, employment and economic mobility over the next five years.
Equity Plans (Released in August 2020): For over a year, our colleges worked on equity plans to close racial achievement gaps. The gaps are not new. They have existed for years. What is new is our commitment to being transparent about our opportunities and have strategies to address them. The equity plans were released this summer.
Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Chicago (Launched September 2020): A partnership with TRHT Chicago that seeks to fight racism by bringing together business, non-profit and government leaders, artists, organizers, and concerned citizens to speak truth about racism; heal from the traumas of racism; and use collective power to eliminate racial barriers and policies in Chicago.
Interdisciplinary advisory committee (Launching 2021): Led by City Colleges Board members and senior staff, the committee will advance and monitor anti-racism work across City Colleges.

ABOUT SEVEN STRONG

Seventy-five percent of CCC students are Black and Latinx students—COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on their academic plans, employment opportunities, and left more questions than answers about the future. The killing of George Floyd fueled persistent and long-standing protests surfacing important questions about race, which the nation is only beginning to confront. In response, the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation is presenting the Strong Speaker Series, important conversations with key voices discussing Why City Colleges of Chicago Matters: Empowering Black Lives as we collectively move forward in this moment. For more information and to take part in additional discussions, visit sevenstrong.ccc.edu.

ELLA FLAGG YOUNG AWARD

Ella Flagg Young was the first woman in America to head a major urban school system and was superintendent of schools when City Colleges of Chicago opened its doors on September 11, 1911. This award is presented yearly during our Seven Strong event to a leader who has made a critical difference in Chicago through their partnership with City Colleges of Chicago.

The 2021 Ella Flagg Young Award Honoree is Timuel D. Black Jr.

Mr. Black will be presented with the Ella Flagg Young Award during the Driving an Inclusive Economy session on March 1, 2021.

ABOUT THE CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO FOUNDATION

The City Colleges of Chicago Foundation raises charitable contributions to support students from all backgrounds in reaching their academic and career goals. The cumulative impact of a gift to CCCF is far-reaching. Contributions support: innovative programming that prepares students for the future workforce and transfer opportunities, creative partnerships including the strongest-ever relationship with the Chicago Public Schools, scholarships that create access to a quality, affordable education, and student supports from emergency funding to housing coordination that ensure CCC is meeting the needs of all students. CCCF donors help put students on the path to upward economic mobility and ultimately create a more robust and inclusive Chicago economy.

Black Men Teach

City Colleges of Chicago Foundation | March 9, 2021

Team Members