Ramble on: Ahead of the visit to America by Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff, journalist Monica Hortobagyi Siniff writes in USA Today an appreciation of the education she received at Loyola University in Rogers Park.
"That’s the thing about a Jesuit education: The impact doesn’t leave you," writes Siniff. "I’ve spoken with fellow alumni from all walks of life, and to a person they’ve told me that they feel called to something greater than themselves. We learned and lived this at Loyola, and it’s why I’m not surprised to see this in the acts and words of Pope Francis. He continues to challenge the people of the world to see beyond their spheres, to consider the impact that one life has on another … and another … and another."
Senior editor Andrew Herrmann also recommends a companion piece on the 28 colleges and universities in the U.S. run by the Jesuits, describing the network as "thriving." Loyola has also launched a junior college, the story says.
Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope. [Getty Images/File Photo]
Why People Go To Great Lengths To Protect Neighborhood Schools: The hunger strikers at Dyett High School in Bronzeville have sparked a national conversation about the importance of open-enrollment, neighborhood schools. NPR's Gene Demby eloquently explores the issue in his piece, "What We Lose When a Neighborhood School Goes Away."
"They orient us to our own histories, anchors of continuity in the places where we were from. Schools are where young people first learn how to interact with their communities in official and personal capacities, and offer a touchstone to reconnect with way down the line. Our schools are signposts in the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and our communities," Demby writes of neighborhood schools.
He goes on to provide a number of examples of people going to great lengths to protect neighborhood schools, including folks in Allen, Texas who fought to open a $60 million football stadium at their local high school. The piece is extremely well-written, easy to understand and balanced.
Black Families Incarcerated: Maybe more of a "What We Will Be Reading" for the next few hours, Ta-Nehisi Coates "The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration" is definitely the long-read of the day at more than 18,000 words. The cover story for this month's Atlantic, Coates goes through how the age of mass incarceration has permanently altered the culture of African Americans and how in the world we got here. Sam Cholke is eagerly browsing all ten sections of this epic essay, with the admission that this is probably weekend reading material.
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