Guest Columnist Kimberly Norwood
I was overcome with emotion on election night as I watched CNN declare Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Many of the feelings stirred in me that night n feelings of pride, of overwhelming joy, of utter disbelief n were also evident in the expressions of my 18-year-old daughter, who had voted for the first time, and in the jubilation of my 16-year-old twin boys, who rarely care about anything political.
As President-elect Obama spoke on election night, I could see the hope in the eyes of my children n the same hope that has been one of the primary themes of his campaign. I thought how profound it must be for my children to see him, to hear him, to see his family, and to see crowds of diverse people around the world rejoicing and cheering for him. What a wonderful lasting image for black children to dream about on that monumental night in the history of this great country.
The impact that Obama will have on black youth in particular will be astounding. And nowhere will this be felt more, I believe, than in the area of education. Not only is Obama’s commitment to education unwavering and strong, his life and his victory are strong testaments to the value of education and what education can do to advance the hopes, dreams and successes of all.
He understands that public education in America is in crisis. He understands the devastating drop-out rates. He understands the horrifically low proficiency levels, particularly in reading skills and in math. He understands that teachers are undervalued and underpaid. He understands that we need to put real money and real commitment into the education of our youth. And he understands that all of these hardships in public education have fallen, disproportionately, on black youth.
Since his entrance on the national scene in 2004, Obama has delivered a consistently powerful message about the value of education and the necessity that government take steps to fix its very broken public school system.
To his credit, he has pushed us to acknowledge that government can not do this alone. The government can’t make children walk away from the television, the streets, drugs or gangs. It can’t make children do homework or even show up for and participate in school. Rather we, as parents, educators and citizens, must work together to motivate our children and convince them that they must take advantage of the educational opportunities that do exist.
So, while it is true that public schools in inner cities are often under-resourced with building facilities often lacking, this reality should not thwart our youth’s drive towards obtaining an education and our commitment to provide it to them. We must enhance both the infrastructure of the public education system and the determination of our youth to make historic and lasting changes in access to a quality education in this country.
With this new presidency, I see a tremendous opportunity for our lost thirst for knowledge and excellence to be restored. During the Obama presidency, we can reinvigorate our youth. Many of us have already started this journey, and with this great victory our road should be a little easier to travel.
Indeed, after Jan. 20, black youth will regularly see a president and a first lady who are professionals, who are intelligent and well educated, and who believe in striving, at all times, for excellence. They will see a president and a first lady who understand the value of education and who are living illustrations of how education can impact and transform lives. And most importantly, they will see a president and a first lady who look like them.
Seeing role models who look like them in positions of such international prominence and power will tell them, unabashedly, that “yes,” with the proper educational tools, they can, too.