Fantasia gives free concert in Newark park to support school choice bill
Published: Saturday, June 26, 2010, 5:08 PM Updated: Saturday, June 26, 2010, 5:08 PM
Former American Idol Fantasia sings as one of the spokespeople in Newark to rally for school choice.NEWARK — After winning American Idol, starring on Broadway, and making a platinum album, soul singer Fantasia Barrino said one of her proudest accomplishments was getting her high school diploma.
"I take it with me everywhere I go," she said today before performing to a crowd of over a thousand at Newark’s Washington Park. "At the end of the day, I still need that education."
Fantasia joined a roster of hip-hop stars including Kurtis Blow, Terrence J and Erick Sermon at the free concert held in support of the Opportunity Scholarship Act, a bill currently before the state legislature that would create a scholarship fund for kids in failing schools.
The bill, introduced in March by State Sen. Ray Lesniak (R-Union) and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union), would provide scholarships for students in failing schools allowing them to attend private, parochial or alternative public schools.The group Excellent Education for Everyone, or E3, put the concert together to garner support for the bill and explain to parents what it entailed.
"We tried to get a feel for what the parents wanted," said Dana Rone, a former Newark councilwoman and the event’s organizer. She said the group canvassed households throughout the state, explaining the bill and gauging public support. "All of our polls came in over 64 percent,