Organizing Through Teaching w/ Jianan Shi

(S3, EP 6) Jianan Shi joined in as a guest for this week's episode which was recorded on July 24th.  Jianan is the Executive Director with Illinois Raise Your Hand, a parent advocacy organization that organizes parents around systemic issues in education. Prior to that, he was a science teacher at Solorio Academy High School in Chicago, and has been involved in community activism which includes volunteering with Asian American Advancing Justice (AAAJC-Chicago), and actively working with Black and Brown communities on youth empowerment, education access, anti-police brutality among others.  Jianan speaks about his leadership role with IL Raise Your Hand and their response during Covid-19, and the challenges that public schools, in both Chicago and across IL, have faced since the pandemic.  We also spoke about his upbringing and how this would influence him to be involved in education and community organizing.  Hope you enjoy my conversation with Jianan, and that you can find ways to get involved! 

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Special thanks to my sponsor, Lawrence and Argyle, a Viet-American owned merchandise line representing immigrant empowerment. Get yourself a pin, hoodie or t-shirt and show off your immigrant pride. Visit them at www.lawrenceandargyle.com or on Instagram @lawrenceandargyle or on their Facebook page

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Bio: 

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Jianan Shi is the Executive Director of Raise Your Hand, a parent advocacy organization that organizes parents around systemic issues in education. Before joining Raise Your Hand a year ago, Jianan was a science educator at a Solorio Academy, a neighborhood CPS HS and has taught for 6 years. Jianan has been in Chicago for almost 4 years now - prior to Chicago, he has spent most of his life in the Boston area. When he is not working, he is spending too much money on his dog Roxie and eating his way through Chicago.  For more on IL Raise Your Hand, please visit: https://www.ilraiseyourhand.org/ or go to their Instagram at @ilraiseyourhand or on their FB https://www.facebook.com/ilraiseyourhand/