HOW IS THIS WOMAN SECRETARY OF EDUCATION?!
Honestly, Betsy DeVos should be ashamed of herself.
On Monday, following a meeting with the presidents and chancellors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Miz DeVos released a statement where she praised these institutions as “pioneers” of the school choice movement.
Ummmm, excuse you??
Related: Trump Thinks Obama Is Conspiring Against Him!
The Donald Trump lackey wrote:
“HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice. They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality. Their success has shown that more options help students flourish.”
In the words of POTUS — WRONG. In case you forgot, a large majority of these schools were created after the Civil War and provided academic opportunities to black students as the Jim Crowe era shut them out of institutions which were exclusively for whites.
Many critics have also brought up the fact that these schools were founded out of necessity since the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling legally allowed segregation. These weren’t “more options” as Betsy puts it — they were the ONLY option for many black students.
Thankfully, many political leaders have since DRAGGED Betsy for this ignorant comment. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri went as far as to call the remark “totally nuts.” The Senator elaborated on Twitter:
Totally nuts. DeVos pretending that establishment of historically black colleges was about choice not racism. https://t.co/gROpItxRx4
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) February 28, 2017
Snap! Snap! Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania added online:
No, Sec. DeVos- the segregation and inequality that forced the establishment of HBCUs is not a model of “school choice.” https://t.co/CIotGpKzBH
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) February 28, 2017
DeVos has since tried to clear up her (latest) blunder as she took to Twitter on Tuesday and backtracked:
Providing an alternative option to students denied the right to attend a quality school is the legacy of #HBCUs.
— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVosED) February 28, 2017
But your history was born not out of mere choice, but out of necessity, in the face of racism, and in the aftermath of the Civil War.
— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVosED) February 28, 2017
#HBCUs remain at the forefront of opening doors that had previously been closed to so many.
— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVosED) February 28, 2017
Girl, stop using words like “choice” and “option.” At that time, black students didn’t have a “choice” and/or “option.”
Reportedly, President Trump will be signing an executive order which will restructure an already existing initiative that’s meant to help address the needs of HBCUs.
Does ANYONE think they’ll get this right??
[Image via Twitter.]
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