Southland Students To Hear From Journalist Studying In Africa

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — A nationally renowned journalist and Chicagoland native will virtually address south suburban students Tuesday and Thursday from Ghana, Southland College Prep officials told Patch.

John Fountain will speak with two groups of students from the high-achieving southland high school — Golden Apple scholars who earned all A's in the first semester and CEO Scholars who maintained a 4.0 GPA in the first semester.

Fountain is currently in Accra, Ghana, teaching university students and working on a documentary project. An Olympia Fields resident, the former New York Times correspondent is best known for his work as a columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times and his Roosevelt University project, "Unforgotten 51," about the unsolved murders of 51 Black women in Chicago.

The journalist and author's work in Ghana is possible through a Fulbright scholarship. While he, his wife and daughter live in the western African country, he is researching for a project titled "Africa Calling: Portraits of Black Americans Drawn to the Motherland."

"The sacrifices of my ancestors and my decision to pursue education are what have brought me to where I am today, a Fulbright scholar in West Africa, and it is what will carry you to your dreams," Fountain said in a news release.

Southland College Prep CEO Blondean Davis told Patch the speech will be especially moving as both assemblies will have students whose parents immigrated from Africa. At the end, students will be able to ask Fountain questions.

The current Roosevelt University and former University of Illinois professor will field questions from almost 400 students as Davis said more than two-thirds of the school's enrollment fall into the category of Golden Apple or CEO Scholars.

"John Fountain’s many accomplishments as a husband, father, author, educator and journalist, will be most inspiring and instructive for our students," Davis added.