President Obama tapped Dr. Freeman Hrawbowski III as the chair of the newly-minted national initiative. According to Mr. Obama, the office will be under the U.S. Dept. of Education and will work with his office, cabinet and federal agencies. Dr. Hrawbowski is president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The Final Call reached out to the office of Dr. Hrawbowski but did not receive a response by presstime.
Dr. Abdullah-Johnson says he heard of the new White House initiative and will be reviewing it. “From what I hear, to be honest with you, I’m not too impressed. The reason why I’m not too impressed is because the president as well as the secretary of education Arne Duncan, they are well aware of why our children are failing. It is not a secret,” he says.
“We don’t need any more investigations; we don’t need any more research studies, we don’t need any more task forces. The president knows exactly what needs to be done. The problem is he’s too afraid to do it because it’s election year and he don’t want the backlash on election day,” says Dr. Abdullah-Johnson. “President Obama knows that every single school district in America should have an office of Black Male Retention and Success. There should be an office with staff whose whole job is to make sure Black males stay in school and that they graduate,” says Dr. Abdullah-Johnson.
Dr. Gill says when she heard about the initiative, she immediately sought out more information but thinks it could be a way to nationalize the issue facing Black students. It will take work from a grassroots level as well, she explains.
“I think this (initiative) is a continuation of a national light being shown upon an issue that we know exists. How it unfolds is up to us getting beyond a culture of complaining, assessing and analyzing and saying ‘This is what we’re going to do and this is what we’re going to say to President Obama as a result of rolling this thing out.”
Phillip Jackson of the Black Star Project and the force behind the Million Father March, which aims to encourage fathers to take their children to school on the first day of school recently blogged that the proper education of Black children is the responsibility of the community. If Black parents and communities in America are willing to allow Black children to be destroyed in American schools, “then we deserve what we get,” he notes.
“Black parents and Black communities are ultimately responsible for the education of Black children. Not teachers! Not schools! Not elected officials! We are responsible! If our children are being destroyed in American schools, it is only because we allow it,” wrote Mr. Jackson.
Article Appeared @http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_9181.shtml