|
|
|
|
|
History and Background
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS), in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office, Chicago Park District, Illinois National Guard, and Department of Defense, established a plan to renovate the Eighth Regiment Armory building located at 3519 South Giles. The armory, located within the heart of the Chicago’s historic Bronzeville area, is a historical landmark. The Armory was constructed in 1915 to provide refuge for the all black 9th Infantry Battalion, which fought in the Poncho Villa Campaign at the Mexican border. It was later reorganized as the 8th Infantry and was comprised of “all black” officers and soldiers from the State of Illinois. The Mayor’s Office assembled the “Bronzeville Committee” to develop plans to revitalize the armory and surrounding Bronzeville community to its former stature. Individuals, public, civic, and private organizations joined forces to make the Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville a reality. Former United States Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.) was instrumental in including $10 million in the $270 billion Defense Appropriation Bill that was approved by the United States Senate to renovate the Bronzeville Armory. It is the first CPS comprehensive military academy for high school students in the city. The Chicago Military Academy will provide another window of opportunity for students of Chicago. The curriculum is designed to build leadership skills and to provide students with exceptional post-secondary qualifications. The Academy will include a mandatory Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp instructional component and a mandatory four-year college preparatory curriculum. The Chicago Military Academy is intended to serve as the anchor of the Bronzeville revitalization effort. Both public and private entities have played major roles in the project. They include: Office of the Mayor, Illinois State Legislature, Illinois State Board of Education, Chicago Building Commission, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District, Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Department of Defense, National Historic Registry, Department of Veterans Affairs, U. S. Olympic Committee, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Bronzeville Project Civic Committees, Illinois Student Assistant Commission, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago State University, City Colleges of Chicago, DePaul University, McCormick Foundation, Minority Business Association, Loyola University, University of Illinois-Urbana and Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, Tuskegee Airmen and Civil Air Patrol. The purpose of the Bronzeville Project is to establish a world-class urban military academy in the historic Eighth Regiment Armory that would serve students from all areas of Chicago. The Academy is the site of National African-American Military Museum, which will display artifacts and memorabilia of the black commanded “Fighting Eighth” Illinois National Guard Regiment and other honorable veterans. |
 |
 |