We are proud to feature Valorie Tatum for #MemberMondays!
RAGE member, Valorie Tatum, will celebrate her 52nd birthday this Saturday, June 2nd. And even on her birthday, the lifelong resident will encourage her family and friends to instead, celebrate community on her behalf at this summer’s launch of RAGE’s So Fresh Saturdays fun, family festival series that reclaims Englewood parks with music, games, free food and community resources at Sherwood Park located 5701 S. Shields.
Ever since Valorie became a RAGE member in 2013, she has been informing her family, neighbors and fellow church members about everything positive and important to Englewood. “I became a member because I saw Aysha’s (RAGE president) vision,”says Valorie. “I saw exactly the positive service RAGE was trying to do for the community – connecting all generations within the community in order to grow and thrive.” Valorie’s busy schedule as an accomplished author, devoted family caretaker, and Chicago Public Schools learning behavior teacher for 23 years prevents her from attending as many RAGE events as she would like however, she has made it her personal ministry to support RAGE by making sure all of the valuable information RAGE provides is shared and accessible in her 16th ward neighborhood and at her church, Englewood-Rust United Methodist Church located 6400 S. Stewart. “I love how RAGE documents, shares and even creates important community events,” says Valorie. “From its political candidate forums to So Fresh Saturdays, RAGE perfectly demonstrates that Englewood has some highly educated and intelligent people living here.”
Valorie’s appreciation for RAGE is rooted in her own personal interest of storytelling and education. Her parents, Louis Joe and Ruth Tatum, who moved to Chicago from Mississippi and settled in Englewood during the Great Migration, were very head strong about education. They made sure Valorie and her five siblings always did their homework before playing as well as helped them study every night. This family tradition made higher education a passion for Valorie. She went on to receive a pharmacology certification from Kennedy King College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from National-Louis University and a certification in magazine writing from the Institute of Children Literature in West Redding, Connecticut. Currently, she is attending the McCormick Theological Seminary in Hyde Park for her Black Studies Theology certification that she aims to use to teach the history of Black Christianity and spirituality at her church.
Between all of Valorie’s educational accomplishments and pursuits, she also managed to become a published author of six books; two children books and four spiritual books about overcoming trials and tribulations of life. All of her children books are for children up to age 12 and written to fulfill the literacy standards of special needs students. Her children’s book, Rita Rabbit and the Runaway Pie, is her favorite because she wrote it for her young nephews as a lesson on the consequences of not telling the truth. Rita and the Runaway Pie as well as all of her books can be purchased on Amazon.com by clicking here. Valorie’s dedication to teaching and excellence in writing, led her to be nominated for the Golden Apple Teacher Award in 2004 and receive a Who’s Who in Poetry award.
Valorie has always been a writer. “When I was younger I wasn’t interested in being overly social,” she says. “I like to be by myself so I could read a lot.” Now, as an adult, she still reads and writes to relax. She reads about five books each month. And when she isn’t writing or reading for relaxation, she enjoys dating, movies and traveling all over the country with her book club and spending time with her family which includes over 50 nieces and nephews! Thank you Valorie Tatum for your commitment to the Greater Englewood community!
R.A.G.E. 