I lived in Oak Park for 33 years and taught in District 97 the last 18 years of my 30+ teaching years. I was thrilled to be teaching in my hometown, but I found being a public servant in Oak Park very challenging for many reasons. This is the lens I look through as I consider Oak Park Public Library’s tumult and wonder about the following:
1. What would have happened if this difficult situation had been handled using DEI practices?
2. Did the board play any role in determining the library’s budget, decision to reposition staff and the impact the repositioning might have on the its visionary DEI work?
3. As a way to begin the healing process, the former director proposed a comprehensive plan to gather data from the staff and community. What would we have learned from that data?
4. Did the Oak Park Public Library community lose an opportunity to put their DEI beliefs into action?
Yes!
Mary Nelson
Forest Park