Let the Little Light Shine

The documentary film about the fight to save the National Teacher's Academy.

Rachel Pate, Director of Civic Programming, leads a panel discussion with director Kevin Shaw and former NTA principal Issac Castelez.

Last Wednesday, our new 2023 Fellowship cohort gathered with CUE family for movie night: a screening of Let the Little Light Shine, the documentary film showcasing the fight to save the National Teachers Academy (NTA). In the film, NTA students, staff and parents, like Elisabeth Greer and Niketa Brar, CUE co-founders, tell the story in their own words in real time.

In 2017, we launched Chicago’s first public Racial Equity Impact Assessment, bringing over 350 residents together to weigh the burdens and benefits of the proposed school and create alternatives to protect NTA. It’s this collective organizing that directly inspired CUE’s inception.

Left: Kevin Shaw, Niketa Brar and Isaac Castelez pose in front of a neon sign at the Chicago United for Equity office.

We thank Isaac Castelez (former NTA principal) and Kevin Shaw (documentary director and producer) for joining the panel discussion after the film.

You can learn more and find out where to stream the documentary at lightshinefilm.com.