Education: Civic Literacy- Speaking to Detroit City Council

July 7, 2010

This morning I attended a Detroit City Council Meeting with other concerned parents and citizens to ask the Council Members to not turn the Detroit Public School District over to the Mayor. I requested that they allow us our right to choose and vote for Detroit Board of Education representatives. While we face numerous issues concerning our city after being devastated by the economy, and, many of us are tired from just trying to survive from day to day, two of the things that the citizens have is a VOICE and our right to VOTE.

During today's Council session, there were several female students and the principle from the Catherine Ferguson High School for pregnant teens that received Spirit of Detroit recognition awards for their work with urban gardening and green house construction in Detroit, and, their reaching out to students in South Africa. A proud parent spoke about how her son, a graduate of Renaissance High School in Detroit, received more than one million dollars in scholarships to attend a university.

I mention these success stories because these students are the products of Detroit's Public School System. Contrary to the numerous negative media stories about the bad situation our schools are in, we do have dedicated parents, principals, students, and concerned citizens who virtually go unknown unless you get to see them for yourself at presentations during City Council meetings.

Concerning the take-over of the schools by the Mayor, why did we speak about the importance of Detroit's citizens having the right to vote for our school board? Some of the answers are:

Many Detroit citizens are not voiceless or illiterate.

Many of us are the products of the Detroit Public School System, community colleges, and local universities; have or had children in the schools, and are fighting against apartheid schooling and its effects.

Many of us own homes and pay property taxes that fund the district and

Many of us understand and know the importance of CIVIC LITERACY.