All kids matter

America is not post-racial. 

Deep, gaping wounds of oppression and discrimination remain and fester in our institutions—including in our public education system. That is why the fight for civil rights continues into the 21^st century and it begins with creating a more just future through our children. Equal opportunity starts in our classrooms and cannot be determined by the color of a child’s skin, their parents’ income, their native language or disability status. 

{mosads}History has shown that we cannot rely on goodwill alone to enforce equal opportunity and the law of the land. In 1957, the U.S. Army was called on to protect the “Little Rock Nine” as they attended high school in Arkansas. In 1960, federal marshals escorted six-year-old Ruby Bridges into her New Orleans elementary school. And in 1963, the President Kennedy federalized the National Guard so African American students could safely pass Governor George Wallace to register for classes at the University of Alabama.

The federal hand has had to push us toward progress.

None of this is ancient history. We are but a generation removedfrom a time when schools in the nation were segregated by decree. The stain of racism and discrimination is still woven through the fabric our schools today.  Within the last three years, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has successfully settled discrimination cases in Tennessee, Washington, Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Mississippi and almost every other state across the nation.

We still need a strong Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And we must not forget that it is a civil rights law and a federal law. States have an obligation to serve students and families from all backgrounds and they are not always good stewards of their duties. The civil rights community, the business community and the Congressional Tri-Caucus have a few simple but firm requests to ensure the promise of an excellent education for all kids:

1) The ESEA must hold schools districts accountable when they leave vulnerable students behind.

2) The ESEA must require states to intervene and correct the massive resource disparities in our nation’s schools.

3) The ESEA must provide the transparency and data that families and communities need to advocate for their children.

4) The ESEA must continue proper oversight from the Department of Education to ensure that federal funds are used to protect vulnerable students.

Sometimes with the horse-trading that goes on in Washington, we forget that ESEA has very real effects on the lives of individual students – students like Troy Simon, a junior at Bard College. 

Last year, Troy had the opportunity to meet the President and introduce the First Lady at the White House College Opportunity Summit. But Troy’s journey to college was not easy. Hurricane Katrina drove his family from their home in New Orleans and he did not learn to read until he was 14. 

With the combination of support he received from the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, his school, his teachers and his family, Troy discovered his love for writing and his desire to pursue a higher education degree. In 2012, Troy received a full-ride Leadership scholarship from the Posse Foundation and is majoring in American Literature at Bard College. 

Troy’s success shouldn’t be an outlier. With an intentional focus on children and the right resources and supports in place, all kids can succeed. There’s a light ready to be ignited in every child, and with access to an equitable and excellent education, we can make that happen. 

No, America is not post-racial. But from Ruby Bridges to Troy Simon we have made progress. And with each succeedinggeneration we can get closer to Dr. King’s dream of “little black boys and little black girls joining hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” We start that journey in our nation’s schools. And that’s why reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act the right way matters—because all kids matter.

Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.