The person masquerading as the city schools chancellor has a bad case of “hoof-in-mouth” disease. Her quip, “Could we just have some birth control for awhile? It could really help us all out a lot” is the perfect example of how unqualified she is to deal with parents in this educational system.
Many of us, who are Christians, practice the direction of God, who instructed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Cathie Black, with her unfortunate question, is barking up another tree where she is equally unqualified. I do not think she has any credentials to be a sex therapist or someone engaged in family planning.
And then to add the remark, “It is, and I don’t mean this in any flip way, it is many Sophie’s Choices” merely heightens the anger by some who look at the reference to the book in which a mother in the Auschwitz death camp is forced to decide which of her two children will live. What a mistake!
If black individuals during slavery had made those two inflammatory remarks in reference to white people, they probably would have been tarred and feathered or hung from a tree. Please understand: I am not asking for either of these ideas to be applied to Black. I hope, though, that either she would have the decency to accept the fact that she does not qualify for the position and resign or the mayor should ask for and receive forthwith her resignation.
Maybe, while the mayor is doing a nationwide search to replace Black, he would seriously consider engaging an outside auditor to look at the education system and its many frequent changes to see if he or the city Department of Education is unequivocally correct to indicate that all of our children are learning since he has been in control. It just seems incorrect for a system to critique itself and spit in my face and tell me it is raining.
If the legacy of this mayor is to be successfully educating 1.1 million children, then he should insist on an outside audit. If he does not, I trust parents, well-meaning educators, good elected officials and those concerned about our children would find the mechanisms to grade the mayor and the DOE and see if they are really training our children the way they should.
Bishop Charles L. Norris Sr.
Pastor Emeritus
Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church
Jamaica
