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Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Pritzker center fights injustice CRDJ explores intersection of race, disability By LEAH SCHROEDER
daily senior staffer @lmschroeder_
After noticing a gap in the academic work on racial and disability justice at the Pritzker School of Law, Pritzker Prof. Jamelia Morgan set out to create a space to promote research on the intersection of racial and disability justice, she said. That’s how Pritzker’s Center for Racial and Disability Justice was born. Opened in Fall Quarter 2022, the center aims to create a more equitable society for people of color and people with disabilities, according to Morgan, who serves as the center’s faculty director. “It was very important to have (this center) because many of the most pressing issues of our day are issues that implicate the rights, the experiences, harms against people with disabilities, people of color and people at the intersection,” Morgan said. Morgan said it’s important for law schools to think about how to best mitigate racism and ableism when considering
new policies. The ultimate goal of CRDJ is to prevent racism and ableism from impacting people on a daily basis, especially disabled people of color, she added. “We have to be thinking about race and disability, and specifically the forms of racial and disability discrimination, to be able to respond to redress a number of social justice concerns more broadly,” Morgan said. CRDJ aims to accomplish its mission by utilizing empirical research to analyze and address social issues relating to racial and disability justice, empower advocates with lived experiences and share writing to reframe the perception of racial and disability justice in the media, according to its website. To reach a wider audience, CRDJ has hosted public events at Pritzker’s Chicago campus and online to educate people and foster dialogue about the racial disability justice issues that the organization stands for. “We want to be a resource for the community to learn to get support and to importantly connect with others that
» See CRDJ, page 6
Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern
John Shapiro, an attorney representing the residents opposing Ryan Field, walks out of the courtroom after the hearing on the 23rd floor of the Daley Center in Chicago.
Ryan Field lawsuit decision looms Attorneys for NU, Evanston ask for dismissal, judge to rule Friday By SHUN GRAVES
the daily northwestern @realshungraves
Finishing off the initial salvo in a wide-ranging lawsuit over
Ryan Field’s transformation into a part-time concert venue, attorneys for Evanston and Northwestern faced off in a Chicago courtroom Wednesday against lawyers for a group of residents opposing the controversial
project. Filed in November against the city, the civil complaint argues that Evanston’s narrow approval of the Rebuild Ryan Field project should be declared invalid.
Since then, NU, which was not named in the lawsuit, has filed to intervene. Alongside the city, it asked the court to dismiss three of the four counts
» See HEARING, page 6
Postdoctoral researchers seek union Community meets New group aims for better wages, working conditions, ‘seat at the table’
Angel Turner says she’s ready to ‘roll up sleeves’ for schools
By LEAH SCHROEDER
daily senior staffer @lmschroeder_
According to postdoctoral research fellow George Winstone, all postdoctoral students can agree on one thing: Their need for a union. A team of Northwestern postdocs are creating just that. Born out of January 2023 conversations, the NU Postdoctoral Union is working toward better salaries and conditions for postdoctoral workers. In the past, the University has not typically recognized organizations as unions until an election verifies majority support. “Every single postdoc that I’ve interacted with has agreed that there is a need for something like a union to exist,” Winstone said. NU’s postdoctoral union joins a league of others across the country, reflecting a growing trend of postdoctoral unions forming to demand better conditions. The main goal is to negotiate with the University for better wages and working conditions, the organizing members said. “A big motivating force is to balance the power dynamic in academia,” postdoctoral researcher Jacob Mann said. “In the current model, we can advocate for ourselves as much as we want, but without that legal power that we can achieve through a union, it still is ultimately up to the University.”
Recycle Me
new head for D65 By ANAVI PRAKASH
the daily northwestern @anavi_52
Illustration by Ziye Wang
A major aim for the future union is to achieve better salaries. Postdocs at NU are currently paid a minimum salary of $56,484.
Mann said future union members hope to gain a “seat at the table” where they have bargaining power with the University. Another major aim for the future union is to achieve better salaries. Postdocs at NU are currently paid a minimum salary of $56,484. Without competitive pay, NU loses postdocs to other careers or schools
with better pay, according to postdoctoral fellow Neto Canton. “We don’t feel we’re fairly compensated for our expertise and for our work as postdocs,” Canton said. “Without having a union, we don’t think we can advocate for
» See POSTDOC UNION, page 6
About 200 Evanston/Skokie School District 65 community members attended a welcome reception for newly appointed Superintendent Angel Turner at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center Tuesday evening. Turner was named District 65’s interim superintendent last June after former Superintendent Devon Horton took a new job at a Georgia school district. Prior to that, Turner was the district’s assistant superintendent of schools and director of literacy. The District 65 Board of Education named Turner the district’s permanent superintendent at its March 18 meeting. “Together, I am confident that we can achieve great things and create a positive impact on the lives of our students, families and community,” Turner said at the
event. The reception was a way for the community to get to know Turner on an informal level, according to Melissa Messinger, the district’s chief communications officer. She said community leaders, partners, district staff and families were all in attendance. Board President Sergio Hernandez called Turner a “powerful force” in the District 65 community during his remarks to attendees. “She’s trying to humanize the work that we do as educators,” he said. “(This) is critical as we try to continue to transform our school system into the one of the most equitable and accessible school systems for all students in all families across Skokie and Evanston.” Turner said she’s ready to “roll up sleeves” to increase efficiency and productivity in the district, with the goal of making District 65 the “premier” elementary and middle school district in the North Shore. The reception featured Joseph
» See SUPERINTENDENT, page 6
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