North Cook News

Chicago's Morning Answer radio talk show host Dan Proft recently commented on the Evanston Township High School (ETHS) commencement speech that featured an alum of the school who condemned ETHS as a haven for white supremacy.

ETHS held its graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 21, at Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. The school has a tradition of welcoming back alumni as commencement speakers each year, and for his first year as superintendent, Dr. Marcus Campbell invited 2008 graduate Jacqueline Newsome back to address the students. Newsome attended NYU and then University of Chicago for law school, as well as Emory University for Seminary. Newsome serves as a public defender in Philadelphia.

“I can say that Jackie believes in justice, is grounded in faith and has a love for humankind. I am proud of her work, and I am thrilled that she is here with us to share a few words of wisdom and, I’m sure, challenge us in all of the right ways,” Campbell said.

Newsome’s speech centered around continued injustices and inequalities that plague students despite all the improvements she cited in the district since she attended. She encouraged students to believe that they didn’t owe anything to “institutions that harmed them,” and told them to keep fighting the good fight for themselves with whatever they do in the future. She began her speech by telling students they didn't have to listen to her because they wouldn't remember any of it in 20 minutes anyway.

"It’s such a reflection on the administration, who they select to offer commencement address, and this certainly properly reflects ETHS’ administration. I wonder if they were squirming a little bit up there being criticized despite all the good work that they do," Proft said on the May 23 episode of Chicago's Morning Answer.

Proft commented on the rationales that came shortly after ETHS was exposed for having separate math class for black or Latinx students as a step toward academic equity. 

“These policies that they supported … they negatively impacted student achievement and intellectual development, much more than ‘heteronormative thoughts’ did,” Proft said. “Just paper over the performance metrics with references to patriarchal and heteronormative oppression, and focus on ‘whatever happens, you’ve overcome a lot and it’s not your fault.’”