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Esther J. Cepeda

Esther J. Cepeda is a Chicago native and former teacher who writes for the Chicago Sun Times.

Stories By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Masks have become another flashpoint

I broke quarantine to bear witness to Wisconsin’s “mixed” status on masks. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: How many immigrants have to die from COVID-19?

Latinos are overwhelmingly overrepresented among people infected with the virus. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Coronavirus finally proves that teachers are essential

Teachers find themselves at the center of a conversation that rarely includes their voices. But as an educator myself, I can tell you that it’s weird finally being considered essential at a moment when some families are throwing in the towel on... By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Pandemic shows we need to rethink education

As schools announce they’ll be closed for the remainder of the academic year, public education has been yanked into a thousand little pieces, and no one knows what will emerge from the mess. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: What debate on immigrants, COVID-19 overlooks

The problem is that our nation is unable — or unwilling — to understand that there is no one kind of unlawfully present immigrant. They’re not all DACA scholarship kids or faithful farm hands. They’re not all rapists or murderers. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Will we be ready for Election Day?

It might seem simple to immediately pivot to mail-in ballots, but it’s truly a logistical nightmare — even without a voting deadline. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Immigrants are keeping America running

Millions of front-line health care workers are immigrants, from anesthesiologists — the doctors who insert breathing tubes to put ailing people on ventilators — to surgical and emergency room nurses, to paramedics and the physician assistants who... By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Immigrants who are held in detention must be released...

Whatever you might imagine when talking about immigrants in detention, the truth is that most either have no criminal record or have already served time for any offenses they’ve committed while in our country. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Amid COVID-19, care for your spirit and wash hands

Just for a bit, every day, you have to laugh, you have to forget, you have to meditate or pray. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: Coronavirus could spark a wave of empathy

My desperate hope is that coronavirus-related discomfort, inconvenience and suffering creates empathy for our fellow human beings. By Esther J. Cepeda

Cepeda: English learners deserve equal treatment at school

There has also been an endemic indifference to the challenges of being an English language learner (ELL) by teaching staff. As a result, such programs are ghettos typified by underinvestment, administrative mismanagement and the framing of... By Esther J. Cepeda

Commentary: Latino professionals are held to far different standards than white ones

Justice Sotomayor is sore over how the current Supreme Court has bowed to the Trump White House even in standard administrative matters with long-standing precedents. By Esther Cepeda

Commentary: What happened to Black History Month?

But just think what Black History Month could be if it occurred in fairer weather and not in the shortest — and one of the dreariest and coldest — months of the year. By Esther J. Cepeda

Commentary: Let kindergarteners play — so they won’t learn to...

For every group of students at an under-resourced school that finally gets laptops, there is a group of concerned parents at a high-performing school that opts out their kids from screen-fatiguing, web-based apps in the classroom. By Esther J. Cepeda

Can we pray for our political opponents?

It will take courage to not see our political opposites as enemies. It will take courage to not be overwhelmed with fear about what the next four years will bring, and not act out of anger instead of seeking to understand. By Esther J. Cepeda

Opinion: ‘American Dirt’ creates dust-up over border story

This isn’t an issue of who can or “should” write fiction about people who are not their own so much as it’s about who gets to write about important issues that are about their own people. By Esther J. Cepeda

Opinion: Many students need our help in applying for financial aid

Filling out the FAFSA is a pain, but doable. By Esther J. Cepeda

King’s dream still hasn’t come true

“I Have a Dream” holds up through the ages, but it’s not difficult to imagine that King would have hated his “day” being the prequel to a single month out of each year when black people are recognized as important, positive contributors to the... By Esther J. Cepeda

Can young people navigate fake news?

It’s incredible how ill-equipped our young people are to navigate an internet that’s loaded with fake news, junk science and other “information” designed to fool them and everyone else. By Esther J. Cepeda

Opinion: It’s going to take a lot more than Mr. and Mrs. Nice Guy to beat Trump

Which brings us to a potential Elizabeth Warren-Julián Castro ticket, now that Castro endorsed her for president. By Esther Cepeda