Chance the Rapper has announced that he’s donating $1 million to Chicago Public Schools following an ‘unsuccessful’ meeting last week with Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“This isn’t about politics. This isn’t about posturing,” Chance told reporters at Westcott Elementary School. “This is about taking care of the kids.”
via NBC:
After his meeting Friday with Rauner, Bennett, who attended Jones College Prep, slammed the governor for vetoing $215 million in CPS funding last December. Rauner nixed the funding after claiming that Democratic leaders backed out of a deal to pass comprehensive pension reform.
“Governor Rauner, do your job,” Bennett said Monday, noting that he had another “unsuccessful” conversation with the governor over the weekend.
As part of his plan, Bennett announced that his organization would be accepting further donations for CPS on its Social Works website. For every $100,000 raised on the site, Bennett promised to chip in an additional $10,000. He said he would start Monday by donating $10,000 to ten different CPS schools, including Westcott Elementary.
Bennett also said he’s calling on friends, fellow artists and corporations to support his push to better fund CPS. He noted that he has a call later Monday to discuss the project with fellow Chicago rapper Common.
Former first lady and fellow Chicago native Michelle Obama shared her appreciation for Bennett’s gift, tweeting, “Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.”
On Monday, Rauner’s office said, “Individual contributions will never be enough to address the financial challenges facing CPS.” Rauner and his wife, Diana, have donated millions to education initiatives throughout the state, including $7 million over the past 20 years to organizations benefiting CPS students.
“It would be helpful if CPS officials came to Springfield and joined in serious good faith discussions about the long-term stability of all of our schools,” Rauner spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis said in a statement.
Way to go, Chance.
