By: S. Renee Greene, Your Black World
During his Senate confirmation hearing in January of 2009, Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, said education is “the most pressing issue facing America … preparing young people for success in life is not just a moral obligation of society, but also an economic imperative. Education is also the civil rights issue of our generation — the only sure path out of poverty and the only way to achieve a more equal and just society.”
In light of that initiative—and the White House promise to make American education better and the best in the world—Secretary Duncan and his senior officials are on a midwest bus tour for “Education and Economy” from September 7-9, right after the Labor Day holiday. The tour kicks off in Pennsylvania, with planned stops in the Great Lakes areas of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
An uneducated America is an America that stays in poverty and out of jobs, and sooner or later, out of luck. Though Pennsylvania’s black citizens make up nine percent of the state, the unemployment rate one year ago was at 13 percent and rising.
“No other issue is more critical to our economy and our way of life than education,” said Secretary Duncan. “While visiting cities across the Midwest, I want to take the opportunity to promote the valuable work teachers, parents, and administrators do every day to change students’ lives and ultimately, invest in our nation’s future.”
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S. Renee Greene is the secretary and senior communications officer for The Empowerment Leadership Academy of Contra Costa County, California. A former news clerk/staff writer with the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer, a biographer and historian, she is also owner of GreeneInk Digital Media News Association, an SEO content and news aggregator company. GreeneInk also develops static websites for small businesses, and provides writing and ghostwriting services for individuals and companies.
