If Not Now, When?

by Editor - March 16th, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

Are you embarrassed? We are and if you’re not - maybe you should be.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released a four-year cohort graduation rate in February and the news wasn’t cause for celebration.

In our state, only 68 percent of students graduate four years after entering high school. That means roughly two in five students in North Carolina that enter high school won’t graduate four years later.

If you live here in the three counties of Bertie, Hertford and Northampton, the news is even worse.

This is a courageous editorial. It takes on the whole attitude that parents in this area have long espoused. Education is the responsiblity of the schools and school personnel. This attitude is an easy cop out. However parents using this excuse have been encouraged in this by local Board of Education members and superintendents who know what the problem is but don't want "to rock the boat".

When I returned to Eastern Carolina 2 and 1/2 years ago I brought with me at least one good idea. Let's rock the boat. Our area is too complacent and too afraid to say out loud, we have racist attitudes from the 60s. The rest of the world has long since gotten past that kind of nonsense.

This is the first time I have seen it broached by either of our local papers. Let's say it loud. Forget race. We are failing our children and the only issue has got to be, how do we educate our children better?

I have a suggestion. Every adult needs to say to every child in our area, "You can succeed if you get an education. And you are completely capable of getting an education if you get off your tail and study. We will no longer accept that you are failing because someone is holding you down. The only thing holding you down is your not studying."

Think we can spread this word? Think we can get parents who whine "It is not my fault, it is the school" to stand up and demand that children study? Demand they study and tell them they can succeed and they will succeed. It is happening all over America. Only in Eastern North Carolina are we still accepting that studying is "acting white". Only in Eastern North Carolina are we still accepting that "it is not their fault".

Bill Cosby has said this is nonsense. He is right. How do we get a few more parents to get on board? How about having the guts to say this out loud and argue with anyone who disputes it. You are not racist for saying our children just need to try. It is racist to claim it is not their fault for refusing to try.