The Narratives of Robeson High School

Published: June 22, 2018, 1:48 a.m.

In the Fall of 2017, it was announced that all four of the last remaining Englewood neighborhood high schools would be closing. Three of them will be dissolved over the next three years, but Paul Robeson High School, which opened in 1977, had it's last day of school on Tuesday, June 19. It will be demolished to make way for a new, $85-million high school. Since its opening four decades ago, Robeson High School has been a staple in the Englewood neighborhood—one that's garnered community pride and supported student growth. It has also been a place of disinvestment, neglect, and several failed education policies. Its closure leaves a hole in the hearts and minds of the many students, staff, parents, and community members who interacted with Robeson High School over the decades. For the past six months, we at South Side Weekly Radio—Erisa Apantaku, Olivia Obineme, Bridget Vaughn, and Bridget Newsham—have been collecting memories and experiences from former students, teachers, staff members, parents, and community members. In this hour of radio, we take you through those four decades of Robeson history, through the stories of people from the Robeson community. If you’re a Robeson Raider who wants your memories preserved, email us at southsideweeklyradio@gmail.com. If you’d like to support the work of South Side Weekly, visit www.southsideweekly.com/donate to see how you can fund local journalism projects such as the one you just heard. This project was partially supported by an Illinois Humanities Grant. Additional support came from South Side Weekly, City Bureau, and the Invisible Institute. Additional reporting came from Tytania Holliman, Jed Lickerman, Jasmine Mithani, and Hafsa Razi. Special thanks to Blackstone Bicycle Works for helping us recreate a food fight. Music heard during this episode: "My Auntie's Building" by Open Mike Eagle; "Concussion/Memphis" and "Close But No Cigar" by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, recorded live at WFMU for Surface Noise with Joe McGasko (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0); "Absum," "Weapon," "Distilled" by Nctrnm (CC BY 4.0); "Nasty" by David Szesztay (CC BY-NC 3.0); and "Blipper" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0). The bumper at the beginning featured Chicago scholar, artist, and activist Eve Ewing and was produced by Jed Lickerman.