Till Victory is Won: Who Will Take the Baton?

When I went to the Seminole County School Board Meeting a couple of weeks ago, I must admit I got a little discouraged. The Board heard and responded to the will of the people. That was good. There was a relatively large turnout. That was good.

My concern was about who turned out (or who didn’t). Though the proposal discussed in this meeting would have affected students living in Seminole County, the majority of attendees were over 50 years old (too old to have children who attend Seminole County Public Schools). Where were all the parents? Where were the students? I know that most young adults work. Many were not able to make it due to work schedules. However, everybody was not at work or preoccupied with some important matter. I know a few more parents could have made that meeting.

I remember when working with the NAACP, I would always get asked, “How do we get the young people involved?” This is such an important question. The Civil Rights Movement generation is getting older. After the meeting, I heard one pioneer say, “They could have at least waited until we were dead to try this.” (I won’t mention her name. But please feel free to elaborate on your comment if you read this). I thought that was such a poignant statement. I’ve been thinking about it ever since the meeting. What is going to happen when those who paved the way have moved on?

Ironically, it has been speculated that one reason young people aren’t civically engaged is because of all the advances the older generation fought to make. Schools are integrated. We have black millionaires. We have a black president for goodness sake. So have enough battles been won? Do we still need freedom fighters?

The NAACP just named Roslyn M. Brock as the chairman of the board. I was encouraged by this announcement. The NAACP is making an effort to reinvigorate the freedom movement. Ms. Brock (44) is an intelligent, accomplished and committed leader (and she's a Florida girl). She has established her agenda to work on improvements in education, the criminal justice system, health care, economic empowerment and civic engagement. She also will work to reestablish the NAACP as a multicultural organization that addresses the needs of all disenfranchised people. Go to www.whoisroslynbrock.com to read about her. Benjamin Jealous, at 37, is the youngest president the organization has ever had. Both of these leaders are too young to have had to experience racial segregation. However, they are fired up about the work. What can we do to motivate other young people?

Equal Education Threatened in Seminole County Florida

The school board in Seminole County Florida will vote tomorrow on a controversial rezoning plan. The proposed plan has raised the attention of parents and community groups such as the local NAACP and Goldsboro Front Porch. If approved by the school board, this plan will affect all students living in the Northeast and Northwest clusters. Currently, students living in the North part of Seminole County are able to choose from a pool of schools called “clusters.” If some school board members (and parents living in the more affluent sections of the county) have their way, students will be forced to go to “neighborhood” schools.

The clusters were set up in 1998 to ensure that schools would be integrated and that all students would have access to quality education. The Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that schools were to be integrated. The federal government observed many school districts including Seminole County for decades to make sure the integration orders were obeyed. Seminole County worked for many years to get out from under the regulation of the federal government. The district instituted the school choice program in 1998 to settle the desegregation case against Seminole County. They achieved what is known as “unitary status” in 2005, meaning they had eliminated all vestiges of discrimination.

Now some fear that since the district is not being watched by the federal government, they could be reversing the many years of desegregation work. The school board says the reason for the proposed changes has nothing to do with reversing integration but is instead an effort to eliminate the cost of busing students. Community leaders say the reason for this rezoning plan is to keep minority and low-income students out of the more affluent neighborhood schools as parents at these schools feel minority and low income students are bringing down test scores. The community leaders such as Seminole County NAACP president Turner Clayton, Jr. also feel this plan will severely hurt the schools in lower-income neighborhoods. Clayton fears minority and low-income students will lose access to quality teachers and funding if schools are not fully integrated.

The school board will meet and vote on Tuesday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m. It is very important that the members of the community show up and call to voice their concerns. The meeting will be at the Educational Support Center located at 400 E. Lake Mary Blvd in Lake Mary. The following are school board members and contact information:

Diane Bauer: 407-320-0495 or 407-695-3552e-mail:Diane_Bauer@scps.k12.fl.us
Jeanne Morris: 407-320-0385e-mail:Jeanne_Morris@scps.k12.fl.us
*Sylvia Pond: 407-320-0371e-mail:Sylvia_Pond@scps.k12.fl.us
Sandra Robinson: 407-320-0381e-mail:Sandra_Robinson@scps.k12.fl.us
*Dede Schaffner: 407-320-0588e-mail:Dede_Schaffner@scps.k12.fl.us

*Expressed support for rezoning.

President Proclaims Black Economic Empowerment

I am always inspired and awestruck when I consider the seemingly unscalable mountains African Americans have had to climb and imagine the unbreakable barriers African Americans somehow managed to break. My soul looks back and wonders over God’s amazing grace toward our people.

President Barack Obama honored the strength and determination of African Americans in his Official Annual Proclamation of African American History Month on February 1, 2010. The theme for African American History Month is “Black Economic Empowerment.” The President urged all Americans to “honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it.”

The President also expressed his administration’s commitment to overcome today’s challenges through extending credit to small businesses that will enable them to thrive, reversing tax breaks for large corporations that move operations overseas instead of hiring Americans, and giving breaks to companies that provide jobs to stimulate America’s economy. He also stressed that education is key. Therefore, the Obama administration will invest in schools and work to make college available to all students to prepare them to compete in a global economy.

The President pledged to do his part. However, he acknowledges that neither he nor the U.S. government can do it alone. Just as it took the commitment and determination of regular people to break those barriers and climb those mountains of history, it will take the same commitment and determination today. President Obama calls on parents and community leaders to partner with him to “push our children to reach for the full measure of their potential, just as the innovators who succeeded in previous generations pushed their children to achieve something greater.”

You can go to http://www.asalh.org/ to download the entire Presidential Proclamation and learn more about the origin and founders of African American History month.