Today "the Blacks" and "the Hispanics" are happy. Their faces are represented in a larger number on the school board. According to the author of the piece below - "Now that we have someone who looks like us and has our best interests in mind.......things are going to change for the better". Record this statement and evaluate it against the same statement said years ago in Philly, Baltimore, DC, Detroit and Cleveland and you'll find an exact match in the words.
For Kansas City this is the second act. Years ago a federal judge who sited racial discrimination in school funding ordered the city and state to dramatically increase the funding given to the Kansas City schools. At that time various civil rights leaders and educational activists came to town and told of the glorious future that would be had in the KC schools because now there was adequate funding.
We are today living in "the future" that they spoke of years ago. Few people saw those who were at the microphones years prior take the carrot that was dangled on the stick, inches from our grasp, tap it forward so that it is now two feet away. We must now struggle for a few additional decades for that carrot.
This is what happens when you allow those who "lead you" to make THE STRUGGLE the essence of your community development initiative. A struggle always needs an antagonist who threatens your interests. Even when this antagonist has moved away from you, leaving you all alone in the political boundary that you STRUGGLED to gain control over in the past - you will look around, trying to figure out where he moved to. Upon finding him your conditioning will have you finding a "new contract" that ties you to him which he has violated after having LEFT YOU ALL ALONE to handle your own business.
In about 20 years the activists who focus upon the Kansas City schools will be rolling out a new "struggle strategy" which purports to be the "fix" that has been long denied them.
The Article:
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The biggest winners in Tuesday's Kansas City school board elections are the black and Hispanic children who make up almost 90 percent of the district's population.
Finally, they have a unified school board behind them.
Finally, they have a highly qualified superintendent and his team supporting them.
Finally, they know there is a good plan for closing schools, saving money and spending more on a better education for schoolchildren.
Give kudos to voters in the Kansas City School District who made the right moves Tuesday.
They overwhelming selected Kyleen Carroll and Crispin Rea Jr. in at-large races and Joseph Jackson in subdistrict 4.
All three say they will support Superintendent John Covington's school-closing plan.
Next it will be up to Covington to bring the board more details about his proposals to enhance education for 17,000 students.
And the prime beneficiaries will be the 65 percent black kids and 24 percent Hispanic children in the district.
Read more: http://voices.kansascity.com/node/8509#ixzz0klxWc81Y
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