WS Chronicle

Woman gives different perspective on Black Lives Matter

To the Editor:

I would like to give a different perspective on Black Lives Matter. Perhaps, the vision most see is the African-American male being overly (and rightfully so) concerned about his life in the concrete jungle of the inner city. I am an African-American woman that went through a harrowing experience in the corporate jungle (working world) & I am still recover-ing (emotionally) 16 years later.

Long story short, while working in Charlotte, N.C., I had a small misunderstanding with my new coworkers. A supervisor agreed to facilitate mediation. It turned out to be a set-up. Protocol was not followed and my personal space was violated numerous times.

The result was an anxiety-riddled breakdown. The breakdown included numerous trips to psych wards and over 100 different psych. medications, yet nothing was ever done to my offender.

My supervisor condescended to me, using language she thought that I wouldn’t understand; she patted my leg and treated me like a child. I grew up thinking that we’ve made so much progress as people of color and as women, but I have come to see that things are as bad as they were 50 years ago.

It’s sad to have to remind individuals that Black Lives Matter in the workforce as well as the streets.

Lynette Staplefoote, Winston- Salem

Taxpayer compensation to any candidate  would be reckless

To the Editor:

The bungling of ballots in the South Ward’s March election, which has led to a new election between John Larson and Carolyn Highsmith, is regrettable. It has also created understandable frustrations and inconveniences for both candidates.

What is not so understandable is that Ms. Highsmith is requesting “compensation” for the voting errors to the tune of $1 per certified vote cast.  Surely not!  What a reckless precedent-setting action this would be!  Can you just imagine all the things candidates of the future would expect tax-payer compensation for! It would be never-ending.

If Ms. Highsmith wants compensation for the errors, then maybe she should look to her supporters to help indemnify her, but certainly not to the tax-paying public.  The tax-payers are underwriting the expense of the new election; that’s enough.

I am not in the South Ward and therefore don’t have “a dog in this fight,” but, if I were, I’d certainly think twice about the merits of a candidate expecting personal payment for the mistakes affecting the March primary.

If she is already asking for money for this mistake, what lies ahead should she be elected?

Kaye Brandon, Winston-Salem

We have got work to do to counter K-12 disparities

To the Editor:

Sixty-two years ago today [May 17], the Supreme Court took a monumental step to correct the precedent established in Plessy v. Ferguson of “separate but equal.” The landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision struck Plessy down and held that “separate was inherently unequal.”

At that time, segregation was the law and subjected generations of students of color to inferior education, dilapidated facilities, and significantly reduced resources in order to fulfill a racist and oppressive agenda.

After the Brown v. Board decision, it took years of resistance and federal action to integrate schools. But now six decades later, we have seen public schools seemingly regress back to the segregated state we saw during the Jim Crow era. Overt racism has now turned to institutional racism creating structural barriers that have countered the positive impact of the Brown v. Board decision.

Racial and socioeconomic segregation in public schools has nearly doubled since 2000 and has occurred primarily in schools where more than 75 percent of the students are Black or Hispanic and eligible for free or reduced lunch.  What’s more alarming is that three out of five high-poverty schools have high concentrations of students of color.

Folks, there is a problem with our education system and we need to take immediate action to restore our promise to provide equal access to educational opportunity.

The CBC has been fighting to address not only the racial wealth gap, but also the achievement and opportunity gaps that continue to widen. These gaps pose dire economic consequences for communities of color – we must work to counter these disparities and also to address the school-to-prison pipeline which disproportionately affects African American students.

Friends, we have work to do.

I want to thank my colleagues Ranking Member John Conyers and Ranking Member Bobby Scott for their leadership in calling for this GAO report.  It will require deliberate decisions and efforts to achieve true equity in education and equality for all students in our schools. I call on my colleagues in the House and the Senate to join us in our efforts to create better schools for our youth.

U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)

Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus

Washington, D.C.

Note: On May 17, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) gave remarks at a press conference to commemorate the 62nd Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and unveil a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on contemporary racial and socioeconomic segregation and disparities in K-12 public schools.