Civil Rights Hero James Meredith Issues the American Child's Education Bill of Rights
A while back I shared a review of James Meredith's memoir, A Mission From God: A Memoir And A Challenge For America.
For those too young to remember, in 1962 Meredith became the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. In 1966 he was shot while leading the March Against Fear, an effort to register African Americans to vote. He recovered from his wounds to complete the march, which became one of the biggest marches in civil rights history, and he went on to earn a law degree at Columbia University.
This year, Meredith has offered a fresh call to conscience, through his Educational Bill of Rights for America's Children. But this icon of the civil rights movement is charting a very different path from that of the corporate-led "education reform." Although he is now 80 years old, Meredith drives his grandchildren to public school every day in Jackson, Mississippi. His Bill of Rights shows he has a close eye 21st century education.
A release from James Meredith does not pull any punches.
Our schools are being destroyed by politics, profit, greed and lies. Instead of evidence-based practices, money has become the engine of education policy, and our schools are being hijacked by politicians, non-educators and for-profit operators. Parents, teachers, citizens and