As mayor of Chicago, I will always be on the side of educational equity

As a black child growing up in an economically challenged small town in Ohio, I know what it means to go to a school that lacks the basics.

We shared textbooks, and they were often worn and out-of-date. We went without modern tools of learning throughout my entire K-12, public school experience. I also look back with horror at the treatment that my classmates with different learning abilities received.

I loved my teachers, and they all worked hard to do the best they could with the resources they had. I was a conscientious student, but there were no extras, and I got little support in planning for college or a career.