Chicago is now the largest city in the United States to pass a resolution in favor of a cease-fire in Gaza.
By Grace Del Vecchio
CPS students march around City Hall during a walkout pushing alders to vote yes on a resolution in support of a cease-fire in Gaza. (Photo: Grace Del Vecchio/City Bureau)
Chicago is now the largest city in the United States to pass a resolution in favor of a cease-fire in Gaza. City Council narrowly passed the measure 24-23. Mayor Brandon Johnson — who came out in favor of the resolution just last week — cast the tie-breaking vote.
The meeting leading up to the vote will go down in history as one of Chicago City Council’s most classic soap operas and it was full of surprises. Even Twitter was abuzz with commentary — reminiscent of its pre-Elon Musk days.
Documenter Mo Dunne (@rollingwaves) covered each moment, from Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th Ward) speaking Arabic, to Ald. Nick Sposato (38th Ward) not knowing how to check his email. In one made-for-TV-moment, Sposato told Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th Ward) that they had been “out-worked,” all while surrounded by scads of Blue Lives Matter and pro-Israel gear.
There was Ald. Nicole Lee (11th Ward), who kept us in suspense to the very last moment, and — my early vote for Best Dressed of 2024 — Ald. Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (33rd Ward) pulling up to the post-vote rally in the most iconic coat I’ve seen in my life.
In last week’s Friday Newswire, we discussed City Council’s in-fighting over and significance of the cease-fire resolution for Chicagoland, which is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora in the country. But chamber drama aside, the vote wasn’t just historic, but indicative of Chicago’s major role on both the national and international stage.
CHICAGO’S HISTORY OF YOUTH-LED MOVEMENTS
The movement for Palestinian liberation is remarkably intergenerational — when attending an action, you’ll find people of all ages — infants to elders marching, chanting, sitting in. But it’s also a prime example of Chicago’s culture of youth organizing.
At noon Tuesday, one day before City Council was set to put the cease-fire to a vote, Chicago Public School students walked out of their high schools. The mass of young people proceeded to shut down LaSalle Street in the Loop, culminating inside City Hall, hundreds seated on the floor in a sit-in.
Over 100 students flowed out Westinghouse College Prep in East Garfield Park, marching and chanting around the football field, intermittently stopping to give speeches.
“I'm proud of every single one of us,” one of the Westinghouse student organizers said after the measure was approved. “When I first learned about the vote passing, I just burst into tears, because I never thought I would ever see myself taking control and using my voice, using my rights to do this.
“I've always looked up to activists, like Angela Davis and Dolores Huerta,” she continued, “and I always wanted to do what they did. So I’m just very proud of myself and all these other passionate students.”
CPS students gathered in City Hall during a city-wide walk out, they gave speeches and led chants in support of a cease-fire in Gaza. (Photo: Grace Del Vecchio/City Bureau)
Before Oct. 7, she didn’t know much about Palestine’s history, said the teen, who requested anonymity to prevent online retaliation. (Many students supporting and organizing for Palestinian liberation have reported losing job opportunities, as well as facing in-person and online harassment and doxxing.)
But she learned quickly — researching online, noting that she’s never learned about Palestine in school, but primarily getting news and information from social media, which has been an important tool for amplifying information from the ground in Palestine.
She also noted the role of social media in educating her about Palestine but also in spreading the word about the walkout, allowing young people across Chicago to connect and share resources. Following Tuesday’s action, students in the Chicago suburbs are planning to follow suit and walk out of their own schools.
CPS students stage sit-in at City Hall after walking out of high schools across the city. (Photo: Grace Del Vecchio/City Bureau)
Chicago’s history of youth-led movements is a long one, with prominent actions dating back to the 1960s. Just two years ago, hundreds of students walked out, calling for better COVID-19 safety measures in schools.
Notably, the No Cop Academy campaign was a youth-led movement launching in 2017 in opposition to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan for a multimillion-dollar police and fire academy on the West Side. While the campaign was unsuccessful, it triumphantly took up space in local politics — mayoral and aldermanic candidates were forced to state their position on funding the project.
The Westinghouse student organizer, meanwhile, said she’s proud to join this legacy of Chicago youth-led movements — from CPS students who walk out, to the Students for Justice in Palestine organizers who have been at the forefront of this movement, to the coalition of progressive staffers, a group overwhelmingly made of council and mayoral workers in their 20s.
“I refer to it as like a wave, or like a domino effect, because it's grabbing the attention of other students in Illinois,” she said. “I feel that our generation has been so comfortable with sharing their voice and spreading this on social media and grabbing the attention of other students. It’s just very powerful.
“I'm very proud of our generation for taking a stand.”
A version of this story was first published in the Feb. 2, 2024 edition of Newswire, a newsletter filled with civic knowledge and opportunities designed for Chicagoans who want to make a difference in the life of their communities by connecting them with civic knowledge and opportunities.
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