"There's a reason Thurgood Marshall took up the cause of Linda Brown. There's a reason the Little Rock Nine defied a governor and a mob," Obama said. "It's because there is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to opportunity than an education that can unlock a child's God-given potential."
Unlocking that potential, though, means both acknowledging the challenges facing black youth and then finding a solution to problems that are the legacy of decades of institutionalized discrimination.
"We have to say to our children, `Yes, if you're African-American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher. Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that somebody in a wealthy suburb does not have to face," Obama said, returning to his tough-love message familiar from his two-year presidential campaign.
"But that's not a reason to get bad grades, that's not a reason to cut class, that's not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school," he said. "No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands."
Unfortunately, our new president's modus operandi has been all too clear: put forth platititudes that sound good in the itching ears of the target audience, only to belie them by actions. Obama is absolutely correct about the importance of education in combatting poverty. His actions, however, have not borne out in practice what he professes to believe. Witness the DC voucher program.
Here, Obama single-handedly destroyed a successful program that was actually helping those languishing in poverty. Now lest I be accused of being just another white, conservative, Obama basher, I'll let Juan Williams, who actually wept for joy on air the night Obama was elected illustrate what's wrong with Obama's education policy:
This is an outrage to me. … This is so important that you give young people a chance to have an education in America and especially in a failing public school system like you have in the District of Columbia. This voucher system is a direct threat to the unions. And so I think everybody on Capitol Hill, that’s getting money from the NEA or AFT, they should be called on the table. They should ask them, ‘where do you send your kids to school? And are you willing to say these kids getting the vouchers…and doing better than the rest of the kids, that these kids aren’t deserving of an opportunity to succeed in America?’ You just want to scream. Why Duncan and Obama aren’t in the forefront of education reform is an outrage and an insult to the very base that voted for them.
Williams is rightfully indignant. Obama has betrayed the very base that put him into office. Instead of supporting a program that offered genuine hope and change, Obama sold out his constituents to the teachers' unions. And where does Obama send his kids? If you think it's the DC public schools, think again. But then again, it's alright for Obama and the limousine liberals to live one life and expect a different one for his constituents.
Obama is making policy that will guarantee segregation. The rich will continue to have access to quality private education while the poor will be stuck with no options. And yes, this policy will overwhelmingly continue to affect African-American children. How is this enabling folks to claim their destiny? Where is the hope in this policy? How is this change from the failed practices of the past?
President Obama has audacity to be sure. I don't believe I could get up in front of people who placed their trust in me and lie directly to their faces the way he has done. For shame.
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