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My neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side is dominated by Democrats. Nearly every elected official I shake hands with is a Democrat. Just around the corner from where I pastor, the Democrats are building a massive Barack Obama Presidential Center. And in August, Democrats from all over the country will flock to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention.
All these Democrats pride themselves on being on the side of “good.” It’s what they make a living from and what they promote. They come into my poor, violent, but proudly working-class neighborhood and say they’re on the side of blacks, minorities, women, the poor, the marginalized, etc. If they’re on our side, why can’t so many children learn to read and write?
Reading is everything. It is the most important thing a child can learn and grow through their academics. Reading opens doors and creates opportunity. Reading is knowledge, it gives purpose and life to empty souls. So why is reading not a priority for the Democratic Party in my city? I don’t know every agenda item at the Democratic National Convention, but I can safely say that not a single speaker or agenda item will focus on the reading illiteracy crisis facing my community and many other communities across America.
I serve the children of Chicago’s South Side. This is my message about the American Dream.
One of the worst high schools in America is Hyde Park Academy High School, located just around the corner from the Obama Presidential Center. According to the Wirepoints website, only 2% of students will be proficient in reading in 2023. That is, 2 out of 100. This means that 98 students (whether you can call them students or not) will leave public school without having mastered one of the most basic survival skills of humanity.
I blame the parents too. 100%. If your child can’t read then you’re not fit to be a parent. Sorry, but if your child can’t read then you don’t deserve the title of parent. You may think what I’m saying is cruel, and maybe it is, but do you know what’s even crueler? 98 out of 100 people can’t read.
What makes this tragedy even more hilarious is that 82 percent of Hyde Park Academy High School students graduate. That’s right, only 2 percent can read and write at grade level, and yet 82 percent graduate. It makes you wonder how bad the other 18 percent of students were who couldn’t even meet this incredibly low standard. In fact, I don’t think so, because I deal with them every day. Most of them end up in prison or dying on the streets.
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The Democrats, the self-proclaimed stewards of our society, have done nothing about this problem. At this point, I have to think this inaction is intentional. They don’t live on Mars. They know these numbers. They run the Chicago Teachers Union. If this inaction is not intentional, it is criminal.
This is a crime because Democrats would rather spend their time forcing worthless DEI programs on us. They segregate Chicago students and teachers. They subject us to racial sensitivity training. They tell us that racial diversity is more important than reading.
That’s why I left the Democratic Party over a decade ago. I supported a Republican running for Governor. I lost half my congregation. I received death threats. My family had to go into hiding. But I was free. I was no longer tied to a Democratic Party policy that made us happy while taking away our personal freedoms.
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This has given me the freedom to address wrongdoing in my neighborhood. After a long journey, I am more than halfway through construction of a massive Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center across from my church.
Once completed, our first priority will be to teach children how to read. And parents if necessary. Learning to read isn’t hard, but that’s the tragedy here. It takes time and patience. And teaching a child to read and dream of a better future requires true empathy, a skill the Democrats in my city lack.
To read more comments from Pastor Corey Brooks, click here
