Date Published: 05/26/09
55 yrs after Brown vs. Board of Education
A cross-section of stakeholders in American Education was hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton led National Action Network (NAN), to an anniversary event to mark fifty-five years of Linda Brown vs. Board of Education. It was tagged the Rally for Education Equality.
On May 17 1954, the Supreme Court had all its sitting justices ruling, without a single dissent, that education was a matter of equality regardless of race, class or gender.
It was a case involving a young American Negro lady, Ms. Linda Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, United States of America. The young girl had dared the status quo and challenged the so-called separate but equal system in American schools. She had the backing of her father, Mr. Oliver L Brown, and the leadership conference on Civil rights to take on the system.
It was a worst of time for minorities, especially black folks who were regrettably treated like scorns of the earth. The blacks attended ill-equipped schools with poor funding. Education which was a necessary gateway to opportunities was a matter of privilege. It was a time that ushered in the best in that, by successfully pursuing her petitions all the way to the U.S Supreme Court, Ms. Linda Brown was able to give a future to millions of underprivileged youths who were denied the fundamental rights of fair and equal education.
Things are changing though; education is still both a luxury and necessity in America. Quality education still comes unfortunately as a function of color, race, and funny of all, a matter of Zip codes, i.e. which neighborhood one lives.
While one is not antipathy about the call of Secretary of Education, Arne Dulcan and Rev Al Sharpton on the need to “bridge the gap”, it is pertinent to point out that several of the youth who are the beneficiaries of the hard struggle for educational equality, especially children of immigrants who take things for granted. It beats my imagination that a child would see the clear path to success and choose perdition by running guns, peddling narcotic and destructive drugs, immediate and vain gratification of sex and money. They love the path of ineptitude that some of us flared: their immigrant parents were trying to avoid some of this ill wherever they are coming from. They come to this land of the brave and home of the free. Life ought not to be so. As we encourage government to do more in bridging the gap, we must also continue to talk to ourselves, within our different communities, that government must do its part, parents must be obligated to be involved in nurturing, and the child must be totally committed to carrying on the legacy.
In addition, educational equality has its own economic dynamics. For instance, if all minorities and disadvantaged groups in the United States are brought on board, the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) would appreciably, be boosted by more than half of what it is now.
NIGERIA’S CHILDREN AND LEADERSHIP FAILURE
As I was musing on the joy and implications of the landmark event of 1954, through which the single act of a family in daring to demand equality, fairness, and unfettered access to educational opportunities, and unqualified desire to be treated as equals with their white counterpart, led to a flood gates of equality for all of us in America, my mind went to the tragedy of drifting educational values in my land of birth Nigeria.
As someone who had the best of time enjoying the past credible education policies in Nigeria, my heart bleeds on where we are now, by the grace of successive irresponsible political leaderships for the nation and sometimes bad and useless local school administrative heads and teachers. I did not have the privilege of “prestigious foundational schooling”, but with examples of community initiatives and good mentoring, I made the very best of what was available to me in my home town. The founders of my High school, Community Comprehensive High School, Ayede-Ogbese, were good communitarians. Living in America now, I suddenly realize that ordinary folks, who did not have the opportunity of comparing notes on international standards, did extraordinary things.
While the community made sure that we had the building and government approval for running the school, they ensured that children were safe and learn in secured environment. They insisted on having responsible teachers and miscreant were largely prevented from coming to kidnap or take undue advantage of us. It was an era in which there was the dogged determination that every child must go to school and must be functionally educated. We burnt the midnight oil and we strived hard. Even when we sometimes failed, we learn the dignity of trying until the best in us showed and shine. We had good principles, Chief Joseph Olubi Aladesoyin and later Mr. Emmanuel Dupe Ayodele who impressed the lessons of responsible growth and development in us. For example, they taught us how to use our hands and brains to eventually become intellectuals, entrepreneurs, scientists, and artisans. They recruited well qualified locally and foreign trained teachers. They even went the extra mile to higher expatriate teachers. They ensured that the school built on a rugged terrain and hitherto seek forest was well laid out, properly manicured, and well ornamented with beautiful and good smelling plants.
As Nigeria celebrates this year’s children and youth day, my mind ponders on how much of the endearing values had been taken from the land. The total education of the children is no longer of meaningful interest to our leaders. Vulgar display of ill-gotten wealth, impatience and the stealing of the virtue of our young ones are the in-thing. And worst of all our children, whether in the villages or in the cities can no longer be without someone watching over their shoulders, because there are evil people on the prowl, always willing to steal children, and offering them for sacrifice in hollow rituals, because ignorance and superstition are steadily on the ascendancy in Nigeria, and elsewhere in the world. As we celebrate this year’s children’s day, I pray that God will protect my children. And yours too!
Stop Trying to Make us Support Anarchy
Wherever people abandon dialogue and peaceful negotiations and mass action like writing and talking and choose violent armed insurrection, never expect to have my support: I am not an anarchist. I love obedience to the hierarchy of leadership and not in a sheepish way. I just like orderliness. I know that Niger deltans have the right to demand dignity and fair treatment; however, I do not like confrontational posture. I do not know where people get the fickle thought that a Journalist must necessarily endorse everything that looks like opposition to constituted authority, law, and order. That is not what a Journalist does. A Journalist simply reports every side to any issue of the day.
I was surprised when one character left an angry message on my office phone during the week that we were ignoring a “so-called” atrocity of the military in Deltan village. The truth is that I idolize soldiers, they are merely obeying orders. If they don’t, they face consequences. What do we expect of our soldiers when youths allow themselves to be brainwashed to do the bidding of few, greedy, faceless idiots who must blackmail. Kidnap and harass Nigerian guests (Expatriate workers) in order to make a point for access to opportunities. They have legitimate demands, sorry I cannot condone their lawless option of armed insurrection. What makes us feel that what is not acceptable in Bagdad, Washington D.C or London should be acceptable in Nigeria?
Soldiers who are fighting the dissidents in the Niger Delta are not the problem. They should be commended for willing to lay down their lives and provide security for innocent citizens and the government.
The only time I would criticize soldiers would be if they subvert the law or try to seize power by force. This is not happening now in Nigeria so please stop calling or asking us to expose nothing.
Memorial Day in America
Monday May 25 th 2009, was Memorial Day in America. The holiday is meant to celebrate and immortalize the heroism of uniformed personnel’s, especially soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the cause of preserving the sovereignty of the United States of America, securing the lives and properties of citizens so that people can flourish and devote time for the pursue of happiness. In Nigeria, we observe January 15 th as our Remembrance Day.
Yesterday was an opportunity for me to think about those who have died in the US military so that we can continue to enjoy the indescribable peace that we have here today. I also ponder on the mosaic nature of the US military. It is difficult not to find individuals from every nation of the world represented therein. It was time for me to remember a young Nigerian, Patrick Obaje who was killed in the Iraqi theatre. He and others like him did not lay down their lives as often said. Their lives were required and taken from them.
It was also a day for me to think of my cousin, Sunday Abitogun who died while keeping the peace with the Nigerian Army during the war in Liberia. According to the John 15:13 “ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” May the soul of every soldier that has died in battle find a sweet repose.
African Liberation Day
Some folks choose to call May 25 th American Liberation Day while some simply call it American Day. In 1958, hopefully leaders on this day met in Ghana and founded the defunct Organization of African Unity. It has since become the African union. The hope of the 1958 meeting which was conveyed by the Late Ghanaian Pan-African leader, Dr. Akwame Nkrumah, was to usher in unrestrained freedom for every African and to guarantee the promise of liberty, federated in free nations. So we celebrate the great minds like Nkrumah, Sekou tourre, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.
In our own time, the quest leaves that ignorance and diseases would end in Africa. That despotism and oppressive leadership would become an ended nightmare. Ironically, Tajudeen Abdulkareem, a good friend and committed new Africanist was on his way to the African Day celebration in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia had a terrible car wreck and got killed. He was 40-yrs old like many others; he lived for the dream of a free Africa, especially a continental African government. May his soul rest in peace. May the day come when every African shall indeed be free.
So the Rich too can cry?
In Egypt, a certain billionaire was condemned to death during the week for hiring contract killers for the sum of $2 million to kill a damsel who would not accept the rich man’s marriage proposals. If one must take another’s life in order to live, such a person must not shed crocodile tears when it is time for justice.
The Amuka’s allegedly killed a little boy for rituals so that their bedridden child can be healthy. I hope they know it was no fun for the boy they allegedly killed. I am hoping for the miracle of the law and trial that would expose them, and then they would know that the rich also cries.
