West Cook News

Teachers at Lyons Township High School will participate in a book study organized by a Black Lives Matter group, "Teaching for Black Lives."

The group will train LT teachers on how to better incorporate "the truth about the breathtaking heroism of black communities in the face of injustice," and how they can replace "eurocentric textbooks with a curriculum that centers the intersectional identities of black people."

"Students are turning to teachers to help them make sense of this new reality," the group says. "Textbooks and the traditional curriculum are of no help as they hide the long history of white supremacy and the Black Freedom Struggle."

Jennifer Rowe, the school's "Director of Equity and Belonging," made the announcement on Twitter.

"So proud of our amazing educators & love how they are all in!," Rowe wrote.

"Teaching for Black Lives" says it is operating in eighteen states, has given 700 teachers copies of its book (titled, Teaching for Black Lives), and has "reached" 75,000 students, so far.

The group created by the Zinn Education Project, which provides left-leaning classroom materials and lesson plans. They include teaching students to "take on the role of activist-experts" to design a "slavery reparations" bill for Congress, and "The Kapernick Effect: Taking a Knee and Changing the World." 

The Zinn Education Project was founded by author and Communist activist Howard Zinn.

LT first hired Rowe in August 2021. She most recently worked in a similar role, as "executive director of educational equity" at Indian Prairie School District 204 in Naperville. Before that, Rowe was dean of students for Metea Valley H.S. in Aurora, a teacher at Waubonsie Valley H.S. in Aurora, and a teacher at Loyola Academy in Wilmette.

Rowe's starting salary at LT is $155,000.