 LOCAL AND STATE NEWS |
PERDUE DECLARES ''WAR'' AGAINST SCHOOL RESEGREGATION, WEEK OF JUNE 10-16, 2010
by CASH MICHAELS
The Wilmington Journal
Originally posted 6/10/2010
Declaring that the state was ''in a war,'' Governor Beverly Perdue told members of the NC Legislative Black Caucus last weekend that she, as a citizen, fully supported the efforts of NC NAACP President Rev. William Barber in challenging the resegregation of public schools across the state.
Even if that ''war'' ultimately ends up in the US Supreme Court.
''North Carolina is in a war,'' the governor declared last Friday during the opening night banquet of the 24th Annual NC Legislative Black Caucus Foundation's Education Scholarship Weekend at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in the Research Triangle Park.
''From my position as citizen, not as governor but as a citizen of this great state, I applaud every single thing that [Rev. Barber] is doing, and I, for one, do believe that diversity does make for a better end product for children
in this state,'' Perdue said.
''If it takes going to the Supreme Court of this great country from Wayne County and for Wake County, and for other counties in North Carolina, so be it,'' the governor continued. ''We will stand together, to make sure that all of the children of this state have a chance.''
The NC NAACP has recently been at the forefront of combating the adoption of neighborhood schools policies by school districts across the state that have led to the racial resegregation of students in Wayne and New Hanover counties, and many fear will also result in Wake County, which elected a Republican-backed conservative majority that has been steadily dismantling that school system's 30-year-old student diversity policy.
The NC NAACP put bite to its bark when it filed a Title VI complaint last December with the US Dept. of Education and the US Justice Dept, alleging that because of Wayne County Public Schools student reassignment policy, Goldsboro city schools are 99 percent black, while the Wayne County Public Schools beyond Goldsboro are predominately white.
Rev. Barber contends that the resegregation of Wayne County Public Schools constitutes ''separate and unequal'' education for black children, which the US Supreme Court ruled to be unconstitutional in 1954.
The NAACP fought to end ''separate but equal'' schools several decades ago, not just to seat black children beside white children, even though that is a good thing. We fought because ''separate but equal'' was unconstitutional---a violation of law and civil rights which produced poisonous inequities in teacher pay, school curriculum, textbooks, transportation, and other opportunities,'' Rev. Barber said.
As a result of that federal complaint, the US Justice Dept. (DOJ) determined that a compliance review investigation of Wayne County Public Schools was in order, and authorities met with parents and the community on May 18 in Goldsboro to take testimony.
DOJ officials are also reviewing the school system's school zoning and transfer policies and practices; discipline polices and practices; student access to rigorous curriculum; extra-curricular activities; academic achievement and graduation; and equitable distribution of resources, including equality of teachers, administrators and funding.
With Wayne County as the first shot across the bow, Barber has also warned the New Hanover County School Board - which recently reassigned more black students to inner city schools - and the conservative-led Wake County Public School Board - that is establishing community school zones that could double the number of high poverty inner city schools for black and Latino students - that federal complaints, and ultimately lawsuits, will also be coming their way once compelling evidence of ''separate and unequal'' is also compiled.
''Historically, legally, educationally, economically and morally we stand for the children and against those bent on destroying socioeconomic diversity,'' Rev. Barber says. ''And why we will fight with every moral and legal tool available to us.''
During her brief remarks Friday, Gov. Perdue also noted how North Carolina is experiencing tough times economically, though conditions are slowly improving. She also acknowledged the hard decisions state lawmakers in both the House and the Senate are having to make about the budget, especially with tax revenues declining, but public service demands, especially in education, growing rapidly.
And yet, Perdue said, in order for North Carolina to recover, improving education for all children must be a state priority.
''I will fight to the mat for a good education for every child in North Carolina, as will members of this Black Caucus, and other members of the General Assembly,'' the governor said.
The NCLBC Foundation Scholarship Weekend conference, chaired by state Rep. Alma Adams (D-Guilford) raised $100,000 for needy but deserving students attending all ten of North Carolina's historically black colleges and universities.
CNN analyst Roland Martin and Essence Magazine Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Susan L. Taylor were the featured keynoters.
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