Eve L. Ewing

An imaginative exploration of black girlhood and womanhood through poetry, visual art and narrative prose

Electric Arches

Reflections on race, class, violence, segregation, and the hidden histories that shape our divided urban landscapes.

1919

"Failing schools. Underprivileged schools. Just plain bad schools." That's how Eve L. Ewing opens Ghosts in the Schoolyard: describing Chicago Public Schools from the outside. The way politicians and pundits and parents of kids who attend other schools talk about them, with a mix of pity and contempt. But Ewing knows Chicago Public Schools from the inside: as a student, then a teacher, and now a scholar who studies them. And that perspective has shown her that public schools are not buildings full of failures--they're an integral part of their neighborhoods, at the heart of their communities, storehouses of history and memory that bring people together. Never was that role more apparent than in 2013 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced an unprecedented wave of school closings. Pitched simultaneously as a solution to a budget problem, a response to declining enrollments, and a chance to purge bad schools that were dragging down the whole system, the plan was met with a roar of protest from parents, students, and teachers. But if these schools were so bad, why did people care so much about keeping them open, to the point that some would even go on a hunger strike? Ewing's answer begins with a story of systemic racism, inequality, bad faith, and distrust that stretches deep into Chicago history. Rooting her exploration in the historic African American neighborhood of Bronzeville, Ewing reveals that this issue is about much more than just schools. Black communities see the closing of their schools--schools that are certainly less than perfect but that are theirs--as one more in a long line of racist policies. The fight to keep them open is yet another front in the ongoing struggle of black people in America to build successful lives and achieve true self-determination.

Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side

Ghosts in the Schoolyard

A forgotten homemade robot comes to life just when aspiring fifth-grade scientist Maya needs a friend--and a science fair project.

Maya and the Robot

Collects Marvel Team-Up (2019) #1-6. Kamala Khan puts the “Ms.” into Marvel Team-Up! Ms. Marvel steps into the starring role of one of Marvel’s all-time classic titles — and fittingly, the ever-sociable Spider-Man swings by to hand over the mantle! After a science demonstration at Empire State University goes awry, Ms. Marvel and Spidey find themselves tangled up in the same chaotic adventure. Is it destiny? Or disaster?! And can the two heroes put their heads together and find a way to save the day? Next, the sudden reappearance of Mar-Vell, the first Captain Marvel, draws Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan back together for an out-of-this-world adventure! But is the man behind the mask who he claims to be? And can Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel stay on the same page long enough to find out?

Eve L. Ewing

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