“There are more than 100 HBCUs throughout the country, and we want them to be centers for excellence for many generations to come,” the CBC said in a statement.
I believe the President is now focusing more specifically –and publicly — on helping black folks. Call it a black agenda or call it the right thing to do, but there is no doubt that Obama is finally using his White House bully pulpit to talk about social justice.
But this is not about effort, nobility or progressive leadership: It’s about Congress appropriating money to fund critical programs to aid Black Americans – and all Americans – in need. Just this week, a House subcommittee voted to shut down South Carolina State University for two years while the university tries to deal with its monumental financial woes.
South Carolina State University is the state’s only public historically black college. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina is an alumni of the school. South Carolina State officials say the school has debts of at least $17.5 million so lawmakers are suggesting closing the school until its creditors can be satisfied.
University President Thomas Elzey, who took charge in mid-2013, said, “I want to make one thing clear. SC State will not close.”
I’m not a pessimist, but I am a realist, and I don’t see a path for substantive dialogue between Obama and the GOP particularly when it comes to funding Black colleges. Republicans in Congress are not focused on finding ways to educate Black students. It’s not a priority. They don’t care. And so the partisan blame-game and finger-pointing continues.
What do you think?
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Politics As Usual: Can The CBC Help Obama Fight The GOP? was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
