About Raquel
Hi Neighbors,
I am Raquel Don, a candidate for the Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) Board of Education (BOE) member in District 7 (your district). This election is a historical moment, and I am encouraging you to participate in it. The current BOE is appointed by the mayor. This November 5th, along with the presidential election, you will have the opportunity to elect one BOE candidate from District 7. I ask that you cast your vote for me.
Why should you vote for me? My parents and I are from Bridgeport. My dad was from St. David's and after their closure, St. Anthony's. My mom is from Nativity. As a child, I grew up in a multi-generational home. I feel blessed to have had such close relationships with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I was raised with the sayings: “blood is thicker than water”, "respect my elders", and “always say please and thank you”. My maternal grandpa was a member of the Mariachi Potosino band. He learned that even though all people don't understand Spanish, we all feel passion in the same way. He asked me to remember that lesson about people. My grandfathers taught me that if I saw a wrongdoing that I had to say something because not speaking up made me responsible for it too. Also, my family demonstrated community building to me which I love to do. All of the care that I received from my family and the morals taught to me, created the person that I am today.
Then, I was blessed to meet a man, Don Don (曾), that possessed the same strong family and community building values as me. He has been a Chicago firefighter in District 7 for his entire career of 22 plus years. He co-created our neighborhood watch group which educated people about building community and reporting crime. Don and I live in Armour Square, and we have 3 kids together. We agreed prior to their births that we would only allow our family to babysit our kids. So, our kids grew up in a multi-generational home just like us.
As a mother, I have volunteered at our 3 kids’ schools for over 20 years. They went to St. Jerome and James Ward Elementary Schools. Our oldest graduated from Jones High School and New York University. Our 2 younger kids now attend Jones College Prep and Intrinsic High Schools. I served at James Ward as a Local School Council (LSC) member and chairperson for 10 years. I was an LSC member at Jones College Prep High School for 2 years. I have served as a board member on “Friends of Jones” for 8 years. I was appointed by CPS as a Parent Board of Governors (PBG) member in 2019. I have been a PBG board & selection committee member for over 5 years. All of my volunteer experiences, especially those with CPS, have prepared me for the role as a BOE member. In my roles at school, I have always focused on the educational needs and safety of the students. I believe that every student deserves advocacy for their needs. As a parent, I value every student's/parent's/guardian's voice.
The journey to get on the ballot has not been easy for me. My integrity was challenged by four well known lawyers. Now, I am the only CPS parent that is a candidate in District 7. I take the children's needs and their futures seriously. This is no political ploy for me. I want District 7 to be represented by an experienced person that cares about all CPS students. The work that I have done thus far is my proof. I do not have endorsements from big organizations, nor do I have access to large donations/funds. I am asking the people of District 7 to talk about this election and its importance. And I am hoping that you will stand-up and cast your vote for me, a regular neighborhood person and CPS parent.
Best Regards,
Raquel Don