Harper Funeral
A principal reflects on a turbulent year: 27 current or former students shot, 8 of them dead.
2013 / Linda Lutton / WBEZ, Chicago, USA
A principal reflects on a turbulent year: 27 current or former students shot, 8 of them dead.
The weight of Chicago's struggle with violence falls heavier on some than on others. One person shouldering more than her share is the principal of Harper High School in Chicago's South Side Englewood neighborhood.
Harper Funeral was produced for WBEZ-FM by education reporter Linda Lutton, and edited by Cate Cahan. Lutton discusses reporting from Harper, and her evolving relationship with that community, Behind the Scenes.
The story recently inspired two This American Life episodes.
Photos by Bill Healy.
produced by
Linda Lutton (@lindalutton) is an education reporter for WBEZ in Chicago.
Featured in
May we recommend…
-
Crosses in the Desert
2020 / 24:36
Alvaro Enciso is a retired man who lives in Tucson, Arizona. He puts crosses in the exact places where dead migrant bodies have been found in the Sonoran desert.
-
Living 9/11
2012 / 58:59
A decade ago, WNYC's news team spent days, months, and then years reporting on the World Trade Center attacks and their aftermath.
-
Ear Hustle: Dirty Water
2018 / 36:12
Ear Hustle is a unique creative partnership between Earlonne Woods, who is incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, and outside collaborator Nigel Poor. Together, along with other men at the prison, they produce stories about daily life behind the walls.