By Sam Frescoe,
Veteran’s Recall
http://veterans-recall.blogspot.com/
Is the situation at Mizzou bad
enough without the influence of outside activists? In my opinion, the answer is
yes; however, others seem to disagree. All thinkers assume your battle
stations, here come the outside activists!
On/Near 17 Nov 2015, Leslie
Fenwick entered the Mizzou
discussion by stating "Why do we have the circumstances where black
people are paying tax dollars without sufficient access to state
institutions?" Fenwick is quoted by Summer Ballentine, an AP reporter, in
a piece for the Huffington Post.
Before addressing the question,
let’s consider the actors.
Leslie
Fenwick is experienced in higher education, public policy, philanthropy,
and urban PK-12 schools. Currently, she is dean and professor of educational
policy and leadership at the Howard University School of Education. Fenwick has
devoted her career to improving educational opportunity and outcomes for
African American and other underserved students (in the education pipeline from
the elementary through graduate school levels).
Summer Ballentine
is a reporter with the Associated Press. She has contributed to the
Philadelphia Inquirer, Hearst Newspapers/Houston Chronicle's D.C. Bureau, and
The Columbus Dispatch. Additionally, she has served as the Opinion editor at
The State News.
Where do I begin?
Given the Mizzou situation and
the history of the actors, let’s start with clarifications.
Who are “we”? Given the severity of the Mizzou situation, pronouns
are not specific enough.
What circumstances? State your claims.
Why play the race card? You said it, now defend it.
How do you know “black people” are paying taxes? Present your
data.
How do you know that “black people” do not have sufficient access?
Present your data.
Let’s consider other questions.
Given that Fenwick is a dean at Howard University, how is
Fenwick an authority on the MU situation?
Given the antagonistic and assuming nature of the question,
why did Fenwick make the statement?
Given the experience and associations of the reporter, why
did Ballentine use Fenwick as a resource?
What is Fenwick’s definition of “sufficient access”? – Is the
phrase “sufficient access” is used to describe an outcome or an opportunity?
If Fenwick is a university dean, then how does she recommend
isolating the effects of student performance?
Going Forward
The point of this post is to
provoke Americans to start, restart, or continue thinking. Identify and
question claims, allegations, assumptions, opinions, and clarifications. Look
into the histories of the associated actors. What are their motives? Seek
evidence and confirm the facts. Think about it.
While I fully accept that
different people can examine the same set of information and arrive at
different conclusions, I do not accept that all conclusions are reasonable or
rational. Let’s talk about it, discover the facts, and seek to understand each
other.
Your View
I invite you to tell me what you
believe at samfrescoe@gmail.com. I am
looking forward to addressing your comments and furthering our American
discourse. Thank you. – Sam Frescoe
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