The route begins at the Laboratory Schools founded by John Dewey, and winds through the University of Chicago. Along the way walkers will encounter world renowned architects and Nobel Laureates, robber barons and artists, the DuSable Museum of African American History and the birthplace of the Atomic Age. In storied Washington Park there may be soccer or cricket matches underway, bicycle rallies or softball games in progress, waves of runners or families gathered for a picnic. From there it's a short stroll to the home of President Barack Obama and his family.

William Ayers, formerly Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has written extensively about social justice and democracy, education and the cultural contexts of schooling, and teaching as an essentially intellectual, ethical, and political enterprise. His books include A Kind and Just Parent; Teaching toward Freedom; Fugitive Days: A Memoir; On the Side of the Child; Teaching the Personal and the Political; To Teach: The Journey, in Comics; Race Course: Against White Supremacy; and Public Enemy: Confessions of an American Dissident.