CPS teacher to scared students: 'We will protect you'

Dear students,

Things feel scary and uncertain. A lot is changing quickly, and it can be difficult to understand these changes and not know who to trust. I want you to know we are here to support and keep you safe.

We know our city and schools are full of inspiring, intelligent and kind people, because we know you. We see how hard you work every day to learn new ideas, solve complicated math equations, write thoughtful essays and engage in complex discussions. We see you struggle through language barriers, schedule changes and issues with friends.

When we look at you, we see youth who are brave and worthy, navigating a system that doesn’t always support or value them. We see hope for a brighter future.

We see two little girls delight in learning they both speak Spanish. We see an older brother shoulder the responsibility of ensuring his younger brother gets to school on time. We see the long commute many of you take to high school in the early mornings and the extra work you put in throughout the evenings.

We see you show up exactly how you are — teaching us about your cultures and values, helping us understand your backgrounds and creating communities that are richer because of your diversity. We see you coming from places near and far, making something out of nothing. We see the whole world looking back at us, and it is beautiful.

But most of all, we see you thrive and overcome. We see your ingenuity when you find new solutions to complex problems. We see your grit when you keep trying even when success feels out of reach. And we see your compassion when you lend a hand to a new friend and welcome them into your circle.

Through these unprecedented times, we will keep showing up in our classrooms and communities. To our students we say, "You are safe with us. We will protect you. We see you, and we are glad you are here."

Love,
Your Teachers

Paige Passman, Chicago Public Schools teacher

‘Enemy from within’

Terrorist: A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Example: On Oct 1, apartment residents in South Shore are awakened at 1 a.m. by flashbang grenades and hovering helicopters as federal agents rappel on ropes onto the roof. Doors are bashed in and agents in military gear with guns drag men, women and children (some naked), zip-tie them and put them into vans, separating children from parents.

President Donald Trump's recent comments about the U.S. being "under invasion from within” are very true. But the enemies wear uniforms and are invading our Democratic-led cities. Trump should look in the mirror to see the true "enemy from within."

Barbara Buzzard, Aurora

Italian American stereotypes are damaging

The selection of actor Chazz Palminteri as a grand marshal in this year's annual Columbus Day Parade is a sobering reflection of how the Italian American media image has deteriorated over the decades.

Consider the following comparison.

In the 1960s, Frankie Avalon was so popular that he starred in a series of hokey, yet very successful, beach party movies. Frankie was seen as the quintessential "all-American" teenager: wholesome, attractive and likable.

But in 1972, Francis Ford Coppola turned a trashy 1969 novel by Mario Puzo into one of the first blockbuster movies of the decade: "The Godfather." It featured a leading (and fictionalized) character, Don Vito Corleone, who could pass for any regular, soft-spoken, Italian nonno — grandfather — except this nonno was the epitome of evil.

In contrast to Frankie, Don Vito represented not the all-American dream but the all-American nightmare.

The popularity of this dark image in American culture has fossilized into what we have today: The image of the Italian American male as an illiterate, violent mobster, either dramatic or comical. Palminteri's career demonstrates how Hollywood has unfairly knee-capped actors like him when it comes to the diversity of the Italian American media image.

Palminteri has played both violent gangsters — in "A Bronx Tale" and "Legend" — and comical ones in "Analyze This," "Bullets Over Broadway" and "Oscar."

This stereotype eventually moved to cable TV in the late 1990s with "The Sopranos," featuring the late James Gandolfini as, once again, a fictionalized Italian American dad whom you would not want to have as your neighbor.

Those who dismiss the power of such a stereotype, recall former president Bill Clinton being overheard on a taped phone conversation in the early 1990s. He referred to the eloquent New York Gov. Mario Cuomo as acting like a “mafioso.”

It was even done to an Italian American woman: Geraldine Ferraro chosen as Walter Mondale's ground-breaking, vice presidential pick in 1984. Respected journalist Sam Donaldson suggested to Ferraro that "Italian Americans should expect the press to pursue allegations linking them to the Mafia." The issue is that many such links are quite often baseless, guilt-by-association tactics. Donaldson also conflated "the Mafia" in Sicily with "organized crime" in the U.S.

Italian Americans are, and have been, doctors, teachers, business leaders, writers, lawyers, scientists and even political and religious leaders (e.g., Pope Leo XIV's grandfather was Sicily-born Salvatore Giovanni Gaetano Riggitano Alito).

But with pitifully rare examples, you never see this vivid reality reflected on Hollywood movie screens.

Vergogna! (Shame!)

Bill Dal Cerro, senior analyst, Italic Institute of America, Chicago