What are schools beyond the brick and mortar that compose them or the test scores and graduation rates that garner the most public attention?

Writer, scholar and cultural organizer Eve. L. Ewing and Jen Johnson from the Chicago Teachers Union discuss what schools really mean to Americans and to African-Americans in particular.

Can schools be places for liberation or are they destined to remain institutions that reflect the oppressions and segregation of society?

Dr. Eve L. Ewing is a sociologist of education and a writer from Chicago. She is the author, most recently, of the poetry collection 1919 and the nonfiction work Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side. Her first book, the poetry collection Electric Arches, received awards from the American Library Association and the Poetry Society of America and was named one of the year's best books by NPR and the Chicago Tribune.

Jen Johnson is Chief of Staff for the Chicago Teachers Union.

You can get a copy of 1919 and Electric Arches from Haymarket Books where we are having a site-wide 50% off sale through May 14th. Also check out Haymarket Books' reading list of our favorite books for young readers, perfect for facilitating important and honest conversations between kids and their parents or guardians during this time of crisis and uncertainty.

Be sure to check out Haymarket Books' Education Justice Reading List too.