NAACP Call for education reform

WASHINGTON, DC – The NAACP will be hosting its annual Daisy Bates Education Summit on Dec. 2-4 to honor the late Daisy Bates, former president of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP and advisor to the Little Rock Nine, by training organizers to fight for her dream of equity in the nation's schools. NAACP President & CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous will deliver the keynote address on the summit's first night.

“Despite mob threats and intimidation and cross burnings on her property, Daisy Bates persisted because of her strong beliefs of a quality education system for America’s children,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous. 


“This nation needs comprehensive education reform from pre-kindergarten to college, and now is not the time to sit on the sidelines.  The only way that we can pull this country out of the great recession is to educate the next generation to compete in a global economy, and that starts with access to a quality, equitable and fair education system.  Throughout this summit the NAACP will address the current problems within our education system, the attempt to re-segregate schools across the country and roll back the clock on the children of this nation.” 

The 2010 summit will be held from Thursday, Dec. 2 to Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in Raleigh, NC. The summit will convene grassroots organizers from across the country to train them on how to move the NAACP's education agenda forward with a combination of traditional and innovative education organizing techniques conducted in concert with local allies. 

“The NAACP has always been on the forefront of education reform and with the state of emergency our education system is in at this time, we are, now more than ever, focused on ensuring that our children and all children get a quality, equitable and fair education,” stated Adora Obi Nweze, NAACP National Board of Directors Education Chairman.  “With over 2200 branches and units across this country, and every one of them having an Education committee, now is the time to empower our members to advocate from their local communities all the way to Congress on the need for quality public schools, equitable and fair school discipline and access to affordable continuing education including HBCU’s.” 

“Every time educational equity is attacked equity is denied and there are steps towards re-segregation another 100 Daisy Bates are raised up to meet the challenge.  We must fight not for ourselves but for our children-this must include working pushing demanding high quality constitutional diverse well funded public education for every child-no exceptions-nothing any less-this must be at the center of our justice agenda," stated NAACP North Carolina State Conference President Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II.  "The three-day summit will include speeches and presentations by NAACP leaders, including Jealous and National Board Education Committee Chairman Adora Obi Nweze, as well as sessions led by experienced organizers. Sessions include “Organizing for great teaching in a school” and “Understanding how your state funds schools”.