J.C. Watts Joins ED in ‘08

Now that I'm back to blogging, I want to tell you about one of the leaders who has partnered with ED in '08. J.C. Watts is a young and thoughtful former congressman from Oklahoma who shares our vision for strong schools for every American student. Some readers may also remember Congressman Watts from his days as a champion quarterback for Oklahoma University, and as a professional football player.

Last week, Congressman Watts was the keynote speaker at a luncheon for two leading South Carolina think tanks: South Carolinians for Responsible Government and The South Carolina Policy Forum. He urged the audience to join ED in ‘08 in confronting the dropout crisis and putting education on the presidential candidates' agendas. Take a look at pictures from the event on our Flickr page, or you can watch news coverage of the event here.


Congressman Watts also had some very interesting things to say in his recent op-ed, which was published in the Las Vegas Review Journal and ran in several other papers across the country. I think he makes a strong argument for how the crisis in education can also been seen as a civil rights issue for our nation. I've pulled a few excerpts below for you to consider:

Even though it is just underway, this election already is long overdue for a serious, detailed discussion on education. How our next president addresses this issue is going to have an enormous impact on all Americans, especially African Americans.


In January 1965, six months after the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded a crowd in Selma, Alabama that no matter what gains had been made so far, when it came to full economic equality for African Americans, there was still a "long, long way to go."


More than forty years later, we can take some pride in the economic gains that African-Americans have made. Yet as Dr. King warned, there is still a long, long way to go. But before the African American community can accumulate greater financial capital, there must be an accumulation of intellectual capital -- and that cannot happen until we address the failures of our education system.

For more about how you can join J.C. Watts and the scores of others who are spreading the call for education reform, sign up to receive updates about events and supporter opportunities across the country.