Dorothy Height "Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement" Dies at 98...Finally Rest for the Weary.

Dorothy Height died at the age of 98 at the Howard University Hospital on April 20, 2010. She marched with King and counseled Roosevelt. She didn't just walk with giants, she was a giant among giants of the Civil Rights Movement.

Though not as celebrated as others, Height gave her entire life to the fight for freedom. President Obama called Height "Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement." He went on to say, "...And even in the final weeks of her life...a time when anyone else would have enjoyed their well-earned rest...Dr. Height continued her fight to make our nation a more open and inclusive place for people of every race, gender, background and faith."

Height had a passion for justice that drove her to fight on despite persecution on two fronts. She was black and a woman in America. Still she kept fighting because she had to.

She was overlooked. Though she was a primary organizer of the March on Washington in 1963 and stood next to Dr. Martin Luther King as he gave his famous "I Have a Dream Speech," Mother Height was never counted among the so-called "Big 6" of the Movement.

She was rejected. Mother Height applied and was accepted to Barnard College. However, as she was preparing to enter, she was told there was a mistake. The college had already filled its quota of two blacks. They did not need a third.

Her life was threatened. While eating in a restaurant in Mississippi during the days of segregation, she watched as all the whites stopped eating and walked out White men in uniform came in and surrounded her and her 2 friends. The black kitchen staff came into the dining area and probably saved them from harm.

Still she kept fighting. Fighting while urging her comrades in the war to stay patient and resist the urge to get bitter. No, Mother Height never got bitter. She used her energy to keep fighting the good fight of faith until the very end.

In her fight, Mother Height served as a social worker, educator, organizer, demonstrator and adviser. She presided over Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. from 1947 until 1956. After that she served at the behest of her mentor, Mary McLeod Bethune, the National Council of Negro Women for more than 50 years. She was President Emeritus of the organization until her death. Mother Height received many honors, including 36 honorary doctorate degrees. She was also recognized by Barnard College as an honorary alumna in 2004.

America owes Mother Height a debt of gratitude. Her name should be placed among the greats and honored among the legends who built, worked, cried, suffered and died to make this country live up to its profession. Thank you Mother Height.

You can read Dorothy Height's memoir, Open Wide the Freedom Gates, to gain further insight. I'm sure you will treasure it as do I.

Florida Teachers and Lawmakers Brawl Over Merit Pay Education Reform While Kids Lose

Florida waits to hear Governor Charlie Crist's decision about the merit pay bill (SB6). The Florida congress passed the bill that would tie teacher pay to performance. In essence, Florida legislators are saying good teachers should be paid more and bad teachers should find another profession. Teachers answer back "you try teaching a bunch of problem kids while making no money."

The Seminole County School board voted unanimously to send a letter to Crist, urging him to veto the bill. And the battle goes on. And the kids lose.

I certainly support teachers and understand the difficult and very important work they do. However, I am frustrated with a seeming opposition to every reform. Especially when reform has worked in the past. Teachers fought tooth and nail against accountability in the form of standardized tests. Yet, testing did not prove to be the end of the world. In fact, schools, teachers and students have improved since implementation of these tests.

Our children need reform now. Too many children are getting left behind. And I know there are teachers out there who can reach them. Let's do whatever we must to motivate those teachers and encourage others to go into teaching.

Maybe we should look more closely at how "merit" is determined. Tying it to test scores may not be the best strategy. Right now teachers get paid based on degrees held and how long they've been teaching, regardless of how well they've been teaching. In fact, teaching is the only profession where after you've been doing it long enough you pretty much can't get fired. Some have suggested merit should be determined just as it is in the real world. The boss should decide who should get a raise. In this case, the boss would be principals.

But whatever we do, we must do something. I am not for a resounding "no" to every plan. Walking out, protesting and calling in sick is not going to get the job done. The republicans have given their ideas. Democrats and teachers' unions need to work together with the lawmakers and business leaders who are pushing for reform. Or at least offer an alternative.

Miss Smith Goes to Wharton!

I am simply overjoyed to report that Miss Tonjanka Smith has been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. We reported on Miss Smith back in January after she participated in the Sanford MLK Oratorical Contest. She plans to major in Business, specializing in Economics/Finance. She will then go on to earn a master’s degree in Legal Studies, concentrating on nonprofit organizations.

The Wharton School of Business is considered to be the preeminent business school in the world. Many Fortune 500 CEOs, government leaders and billionaires attended Wharton, including Donald Trump, JD Power, Donny Deutsch and Warren Buffett.

This young lady is bound for great things. Many young people will go on to college this year (even prestigious schools like Wharton) and do great things. However, I am so encouraged by this news because Miss Smith is not only going with brilliance, dreams and confidence, she is going with a heart to serve. Because of this, we all will reap the benefits. Let's pray for our young people.

All is Not Fair in the War on Drugs

Unfortunately, I know quite a few brothers locked up in jail. Most of them are there in some way because of crack cocaine. Mostly for the sale of it. Many for the use of it. Some for both. So I’m ecstatic to hear that congress is dealing with the unjust sentences given out for crack.

Crack cocaine has caused severe devastation in my community and family. It would take a book to address the many ways in which crack has affected blacks. In fact, many have been written. One way crack has caused irreparable damage to the community is through depletion of black males who have been sucked into the prison system.

Years ago, the government declared “war on drugs.” Back in the eighties, under President Reagan, a drug czar was established. This sounds great right? Get rid of the drugs. Clean up the neighborhoods.

However, what ended up happening is black males came under attack. They were profiled, targeted, rounded up and locked away. And there was no mercy. In fact, mandatory minimum sentences made sure judges weren't allowed to have mercy on people selling crack.

So imagine 18 year old Tommie. He doesn’t do that great in school. He finds out he’s not going to get a diploma because he doesn’t pass the FCAT. So Tommie looks for another means to make a living. He gets caught with a relatively small amount of crack (but enough to know he’s probably planning to sell it). So when Tommie should be in college, he will be in prison. He gets out of jail in his mid-twenties with a felony conviction. So he can’t get a job. He doesn’t have any skills or education. Now what? Tommie goes back to selling crack. But now he has a kid or two. He gets caught again and winds up in prison during the time when he should be raising his children. His children now have no father and quite likely will end up repeating this cycle.

War is tough huh? Especially when you’re on the losing side. But all is fair in war right? Well maybe not this war. Currently, the minimum sentence for being caught with 5 grams of crack is 5 years. But guess what someone across the tracks would get for carrying 499 grams of powdered cocaine. Maybe just a misdemeanor charge and a maximum of 1 year in jail.

Some would argue this is one reason for the large numbers of black and Hispanic males in prison. They are not the largest users of crack cocaine. However, blacks and Hispanics make up 92% of those incarcerated for crack cocaine under federal guidelines. Is this fair?

The Senate recently passed the Fair Sentencing Act (S.1789) which would reduce the mandatory minimum sentence for possession of crack cocaine from 100 times that of people convicted of carrying powdered cocaine to 18 times the sentence. This could result in 4000 fewer prisoners in 10 years. You can go to www.thomas.gov to find out more about the bill. Also, to make sure this bill becomes a law as soon as possible, contact your representative through the Capitol Switchboard at 202) 224-3121. Or go to www.house.gov to email your representative. Click on “write your representative” and you’ll be directed to the right person.