For immediate release
University Park, June 5, 2006 – Activist, educator, and author, Jonathan Kozol, has never been one to mince words or soften his stance. He has spent his life denouncing inequities in education and working tirelessly to elicit conversation and excite change.
On June 23, at 7 p.m., Governors State University’s Metropolitan Institute for Leadership in Education (MILE) will sponsor an appearance by Kozol to discuss the problems and possibilities of public school education.
Kozol, the author of numerous best selling books including the recent “The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America,” will speak to an audience of educators, parents, students, and community members at the Rosenquist Auditorium, Lincoln-Way Central High School, 1801 East Lincoln Highway, New Lenox. The event is free and open to the public.
“It is a unique opportunity for people to hear one of our nation’s premier advocates for equality in education,” says Alicia McCray, Director of MILE. “Jonathan Kozol has long been a voice for the underserved. Through his many books, he has exposed the inequalities in education and the possibilities for improvement when dedicated people seek effective solutions.”
Kozol also authored “Death at an Early Age” which won the 1968 National Book Award in Science, Philosophy, and Religion. He wrote “Rachel and Her Children,” which received the Robert F. Kennedy Book award in 1989. He continued his advocacy for civil rights and equal access through his writings in the best sellers “Amazing Grace” and “Ordinary Resurrections.”
McCray expects Kozol to discuss the disparities in education funding that exist in Illinois and throughout the nation.
“Jonathan Kozol poses hard questions. He will ask if it is right that the location of a child’s home should be what determines the quality of the education that child receives,” says McCray.
“Through the collaboration of MILE, GSU, and local education leaders in the South Suburbs, we hope to investigate current problems in education and develop solutions. Jonathan Kozol’s visit to our community is part of that process,” adds McCray.
