Eleven-year-old Ricardo Juarez stepped up to the people manning each table in the park across the street from his school and asked in a confident voice: “What do you do for the community?”
“I just want to listen and see how they can help us,” said Ricardo, who is a student at Orozco Academy in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
The tables, representing organizations like the American Red Cross, Pilsen Wellness Center, Family Focus and the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, were set up as part of a civic day of action taking place Friday at schools, parks and other locations across the city.
Chicago Public Schools reached an agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union to make May 1, also known as International Workers’ Day, a districtwide day of civic engagement. Some students are taking field trips during the school day, while others are getting civics lessons at school.
The CTU had wanted the district to cancel classes, but instead CPS agreed to provide buses and lunches so students who want to can attend an afternoon rally in Union Park and march to Daley Plaza. Classes are in session.
At Orozco, a few dozen students filed out of the main entrance Friday morning and headed to nearby Harrison Park to learn from local organizations and businesses about their work in the community. The school also planned to host an afternoon rally on the playground.
Each organization handed out goodies like candy and small toys, but Ricardo said he wasn’t much interested in that.
“I’m learning about how healthcare companies like Sinai or the Red Cross help people in need,” Ricardo said. “I’m learning things I didn’t know before.”
That includes hearing more about the history of May Day and how the labor movement led to better working conditions for workers and higher pay.
Orozco’s rally will be his first protest, he said. He plans to read a poem, though he was still working on the piece. And though he’s too young to participate in an election, he thinks children have a greater ability to bring about change than they did in the past.
“Kids can’t vote, but they have a little more power in how to help their community now,” Ricardo said.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
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