After the mayoral runoff election, Chicago dads have plenty of reason to be hopeful. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson brings to City Hall a commitment to invest in our public schools so that every student, regardless of race or economic means, has a fair chance to succeed.
One of the ways he plans to do this is to ensure that all families have access to technology resources that form the basis for learning and development in today’s digital world. The mayor-elect understands the importance of technology and innovation in education today; Look no further than the role of virtual classrooms in keeping students learning and engaging with their teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, or how my nonprofit, Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club, has been able to connect local parents with thousands of CPS students each week for virtual story time.
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Unfortunately, lawmakers in Congress are pushing policies that will make it harder for American tech companies to innovate and operate, making it more difficult for schools and nonprofits to access and benefit from their digital services. These proposals, intended to boost competition in the technology industry, would have a slew of unintended consequences, including fewer resources for technology, higher costs for school districts, and reduced safety for students and parents.
At our Chicago nonprofit community, technology is central to our ability to reach and serve at-risk populations and provide support when and where it is needed most. Our leaders in Congress should invest in American technology as a path toward equity and opportunity, not make it more difficult and expensive for us to make a positive impact in our communities.
It is my hope that Chicago can provide a roadmap for the kind of technology investment needed to support both education and our nonprofit systems, and that policymakers in Washington, D.C., create policies that support and defend these vital systems.
Joseph Williams, Englewood
Defamation of Anne Frank and the Holocaust
The group that moved to have a graphic novel based on the diary of Anne Frank offend the memory of the Holocaust be removed, even though it claims otherwise.
Florida-based Moms for Liberty also exposes a distorted understanding of human sexuality and expression.
Moms for Liberty has objected to “Diary of Anne Frank: Graphic Adaptation,” which has been removed from Vero Beach High School. The book shows Anne Frank walking in a garden, fascinated by female nudes, and later suggesting to a friend that they both show their breasts, according to the Associated Press account.
The group claims that the book trivializes the understanding of the Holocaust, but nothing could be further from the truth. One of the main lessons of the Holocaust is that most of its Jewish victims maintained their humanity despite being targeted for extermination. Auschwitz inmates kept a hidden library, refugees started businesses from scratch in the countries that gave them asylum, and Jews hidden in Europe continued to live, learn, and grow.
Anne Frank, who hid herself as a teenager, innocently immersed herself in her growing body. I wrote frankly and without any hint of obscenity about sex, among other things.
Anne Frank was about the liberation of thought, expression, and human dignity. Moms for Liberty is about controlling them.
Craig Barner, Lincoln Square