OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
EDITORIAL
As Schools Slowly Reopen, the Importance of Education Returns to the Spotlight
Schools in the Greater Washington Area and across the U.S. have slowly started the process of reopening their doors to eager students and educators. And while this process will undoubtedly undergo both ebbs and flows because of the challenges that remain prevalent due to the coronavirus, we believe that not even a virus will be able to keep classrooms closed for much longer. Still, the configuration of our schools and classrooms may look markedly different from versions with which older Americans are more accustomed. Some students will find themselves attending school once or twice a week with portions of their educated being supplemented by Zoom calls or lectures videotaped for later reference on their computers. In fact, in his efforts to clarify how public schools will now qualify for federal funding, President Biden recently indicated that a school must only hold in-class learning once a week to be labeled as “open.” Of course, many educators, parents and teachers have great reservations about saying school is “open” when being open doesn’t translate to five days a week of in-person instruction. That’s another issue. Nonetheless, COVID-19 has forced us to reconsider how education can best be facilitated – not only as we consider health concerns but ensuring that all students receive a quality education. And while the safety and health of educators and students cannot and will not be overlooked or minimalized, we feel it necessary to return the spotlight to the quality of education that youth will receive. Less than a century ago, many Blacks still did not know how to read. Blacks were routinely denied admittance to the nation’s top colleges and universities. Blacks could not attend schools in many parts of the U.S. because of laws that allowed for segregation. And so, we fought against these various means of injustice – through political, religious and social means. As the story goes, victory would be ours – but not before generations of protests. Education has long been recognized as the best means of leveling the playing field in America. And whether classrooms shift to hybrid versions of instruction or not, education and the benefits and opportunities it provides for those who “learn their lesson” have not changed – even in our new COVID-19 influenced world. Maybe the real challenge many parents face is that they can no longer send their children and grandchildren to school so the “babysitter” can take over. Now, the adults in the lives of school age children must bear more of the burden in the daily education of their children. It can be a daunting proposition for some but so be it. It’s the new reality we all face. Let’s get busy! WI
Censure Trump: What Do Americans Have to Lose? From day one, Donald Trump has been a nightmare to America. He proved to be as toxic to the American people as a local drug dealer is in the communities they occupy. By promoting, or pushing the lie that he would make “America great again,” Trump convinced voters – whites, Latinos, Blacks and others – to support his perilous, COVID-19 super-spreader bid for reelection. In the end, he received more than 74 million votes, according to reports, from those duped into believing “what the hell do you have to lose?” by supporting him. After four years of ineffectively tackling issues impacting Americans and people worldwide, and nearly one month since his departure from office on Jan. 20, victims who swallowed the “Trump pill” are suffering more today than they were before he entered the White House. His ultimate desire, however, has not changed: to make money for himself, to acquire more power and to lead people into places where he will not go. That’s what he did on January 6 when he instigated an insurrection in the nation’s capital, directing his troops to “charge” but staying back. He ultimately caused five people’s death and criminal charges levied against hundreds more, all while he continues to
24 - FEBRUARY 18 - 24, 2021
TO THE EDITOR Teacher's Death a Tough Lesson
Cracking the Glass Ceiling
Very sad to read about the death of Ballou STAY cosmetology teacher Ms. Helen M. White due to COVID-19. If this doesn't story doesn't make officials reconsider opening schools, I don't know what will. God bless her family.
Shout out to Miss Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for becoming the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organization. That's major news and a sign of progress for Africans around the world. We are just as capable if not more.
Teniele Jackson Washington, D.C.
Abu Olowokandi Washington, D.C.
stoke the flames after playing golf on his private course in Florida. Meanwhile, the FBI and other law enforcement officials continue to track down Trump’s peddlers at the expense of U.S. taxpayers who are footing the bill to house these lackeys in places as near as the D.C. Jail. Still, despite arrests, convictions, loss of jobs and income, and even death, it seems that those who have come under Trump’s spell simply cannot cut the strings. In fact, most Senate Republicans proved to be Trump’s greatest allies when they voted not to convict him for inciting a riot, although many acknowledged he did – after the vote, that is.
With all that said, we agree with D.C. Congressperson Eleanor Holmes Norton that there must be some action Congress can take to give Trump a strong message to end his game now. Norton is calling for Trump to be censured. “It is the only method available now to send a bipartisan, bicameral message to the country and the world that the U.S. is a nation of laws and it’s the only avenue left to prevent Trump from holding public office again.” We stand by Mrs. Norton and affirm that Trump needs to know that his business is no longer welcomed here. America will remain great despite him and not because of him. WI
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
