Her name was Ruby. I see her face, and I hear her voice. Long jet black hair and dark frames. Super bubbly and talkative and always beefing with her teachers. A teacher at Morton East High School in Cicero remembers a student lost to gun violence.
I tried to take the message to Washington this summer, to spread awareness about the lives of my students and what it’s like to be a teacher in an urban setting. Such are the stark realities of living and teaching in environments more susceptible to tragedies like Ruby’s.
Will the situation ever change? Can I bang my wooden spoon on pots any louder? Ruby marks another student of mine lost to gun violence. The shooter isn’t in custody. “Justice for Ruby” goes the beating drum of my heart. The next day after finding out is always the hardest. I zero in on my student’s favorite seat. My imagination places them there.I worked in Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods. I’m now a Title 1 teacher in Cicero, but my school isn’t removed from these issues, which are all too familiar to communities of color. As a Latina, a teacher of color, I have a problem with this; these issues shouldn’t be normalized. I’m deeply committed to my school community for its heart and grit. We need more resources, systemic change and support at the state and federal levels. Ruby’s funeral was excruciating. A sea of students, staff members and her family members gathered. She wore a crown, her hair long and flowing. Catholic chants and songs filled the air. Touching her hand, I whispered that I’d use my voice for change, somehow, in some way. I meant it. This is what teachers and school communities go through when they lose a student to gun violence. I will continue to tell these stories.Sofia Gonzalez is a teacher at Morton East High School in Cicero.
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