Stacy Davis Gates, the President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has suggested that children belong to them while speaking at the City Club of Chicago.
“Baldwin says the children are always ours. Every single one of them, all over the globe. And what comes next is ‘CTU thinks your children are its children.’ Yes, we do. We do. We do,” said Davis Gates on Monday.
In her address, Gates cited prominent writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin, adding: “‘CTU thinks all children belong to it. And they’re a socialist conspiracy ideology.’ Well, I don’t know about all that, but we like children. We educate them, we nurture them, we protect them, we support them, we negotiate for them, we create space for them. We even have them in our homes.”
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Stacy Davis Gates was invited to deliver the address at the City Club of Chicago, a public forum where government officials and influential figures speak.
Since its inception in 1903, the forum has hosted speakers from both sides of the political aisle, including the likes of President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
A senior fellow at the American Culture Project and school choice advocate, Corey DeAngelis, told Fox News Digital that Chicago’s public school system is not doing well.
“The irony is glaring: if the CTU were a parent, it would lose custody for educational neglect and abuse, given the catastrophic failure of Chicago’s public schools,” DeAngelis said.
Previously, Davis Gates made headlines after some controversial claims criticizing school choice policies and conservatives.
Back in 2024, she told a radio host that conservatives do not want Black children to read, and added that it is “part of the oath they take to be right wing.”
The Chicago Teachers Union reportedly called for over $50 billion to pay for wage hikes along with several other demands during contract negotiations with Chicago Public Schools.
In context, the total base tax receipts for the state of Illinois last year were $50.7 billion, and Davis Gates’ comments and CTU contract demands came amid Chicago’s enrollment crisis.
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According to reports, Chicago currently faces enrollment struggles with a high price tag for the small number of students attending class.
