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HBCUs, school choice affirm and educate students of color
RALEIGH, N.C.—Marcus Brandon, Executive Director of NorthCarolinaCAN: The North Carolina Campaign for Achievement Now, today released the following statement.
“I unequivocally support schools of choice as an integral part of African American history and culture. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been, and will continue to be, radical spaces of affirmation and opportunity for young men and women of color. They are a true sign of our resilience as a community and continue to be a tremendous source of pride. It should go without saying (though I am compelled to say): schools of choice in our local communities provide the same sense of pride and opportunity.
“HBCUs and local schools of choice are a direct response to centuries of inequality and disenfranchisement. Not long ago there were no places for someone like me to receive a meaningful, high-quality education. Inequity today may not take the same form that it did when these schools were founded, but I only need a few minutes with state- and district-level data to confirm that racial inequity persists.
“As a state, and as a country, we have real, hard work to do before we can say that every American child has the same shot at opportunity and success. But until then, we cannot ask our children to wait. They deserve schools that educate and affirm them today. They deserve those schools now.”
For more information or interviews with Marcus Brandon, contact Udeitha Srimushnam at (408) 655-7775 or udeitha.srimushnam@50can.org.
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NorthCarolinaCAN: Launched in 2012, NorthCarolinaCAN: The North Carolina Campaign for Achievement Now, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit education reform advocacy organization building a movement of North Carolinians with the political will to enact smart public policies so that every North Carolina child has access to a great public school.