by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I figured that I would share an update to the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, the mother of two who was given jail time for sending her kids to a school outside of their home district. This week, Williams-Bolar met with both Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton about her case, appearing with me and her attorney on Rev. Jackson's show this past week. Rev. Sharpton and I are planning a rally for Kelley in Ohio soon, but the rally is not focused on just one person. Instead, the focal point is on the educational system in its entirety and why there are millions of moms across America being forced to break the law in order to help their children get access to a quality education.
I heard about Kelley's case through one of my Facebook friends. Her case had been in court for years with no resolution, and not enough people had heard about what this woman was going through. I wrote about Kelley's case in a few venues and called national media contacts, hoping that this important issue could be brought forth for public discussion. I am not in the business of doing individual crusades when it comes to the criminal justice system, since I don't have the resources to help with every case that comes across my email inbox. I get several cases in my email every single day, and while I wish I could help everyone, it's impossible without significant amounts of funding (I still have my day job, so I'm certainly not in this game for the money). I chose to grab Kelley's case because it has clear national implications about a failed public school system that continues to destroy the futures of our children on a regular basis. In fact, I dare say that if the only person who is helped in all this is Kelley Williams-Bolar, then we have failed ourselves, our children and our country.
The key point to carry away from the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar is that inequality must be directly confronted in our society and seen for what it is: a blatant violation of the human rights of African American people. Kelley's case was a microcosm of three forms of inequality that affect all of us: Economic inequality, educational inequality and inequality in the criminal justice system. Being black means that Kelley is far more likely (statistically-speaking) to have been born poor, which affects her ability to live in a district with an adequate school system. It also means that she would not be as likely as a white person to be able to pay expensive lawyers in drawn-out legal battles, increasing her probability of conviction. Finally, being black gives Kelley a greater likelihood of being incarcerated for the same crimes that a judge might overlook if she were a middle class white woman. In some ways, Kelley Williams-Bolar is the Rosa Parks of our generation: She broke an unjust law in order to do what is right for her family, and as a result, millions of Americans might benefit.
We will be holding the rally in Ohio next week (the dates will be announced on my blog once we get details from relevant parties). At this point, Colorofchange.org and Change.org have gathered over 100,000 signatures to their petitions, and they are going to partner with us at the rally to present these signatures to the governor of Ohio to request a formal pardon for Kelley. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is working to secure a Constitutional Amendment to guarantee all children access to an equal and high quality education. I will personally continue to seek the input of members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Obama Administration, the Justice Department and the Department of Education to work on long-term remedies at the federal level. The goal is not for this case to be a significant moment in time, but to ensure that we make this moment last forever.
The Kelley Williams-Bolar case is going to affect all of our children and grandchildren, so none of us should be on the sidelines. If we want to fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, we must be willing to fight.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit YourBlackWorld.com.
3 comments:
Where are ALL the Preachers?
Kelly Williams-Bolar dared to sidestep today’s Jim Crow educational apartheid; a system that serves to continue the subjugation of Black people and stunt the potential of Black children. It is a sad thing that Judge Patricia Cosgrove was so secure in her ability to punish this family and scare other poor Americans. The judge was secure because of the license she has been granted to abuse poor people. A license granted by the silence of the bulk of the would-be leaders of the poor – the Christian ministers. It is a conspicuous yet unspoken element of this tragedy that the Christian Leaders, Ministers, Preachers, Evangelists and Prophets are failing to take a stand and organize protests to overturn the horrific economic violence that is being committed against practically every poor American family.
The clergy is so insulated in its complicity that they are not even mentioned as a resource for justice. I cannot be mad at a snake in judge’s robes for biting the easy victim, but I find clergy that won’t take a stand for justice to be inexcusable. Today’s clergy has a responsibility to mobilize the millions of people that donate to their “ministries.” They bear responsibility to make this nation a place where every child has an equivalent educational opportunity.
Thanks Sharpton and Jackson. We need ALL our Ministers of Every Race to unite us and overcome the evil that they have tolerated and often supported. At most, THE JUDGES AND THE CONTROLLING ESTABLISHMENT HAVE BEEN LAUGHING AT OUR POWERLESS COMPLAINING! They are convinced that the complainers will not unite to achieve anything meaningful. Stop complaining, start protesting, get the judges that abuse the poor out of office. Bring the city to a peaceful standstill until this judge is dismissed. Judge Cosgrove believes in sending messages to deter future infractions. Send a message to the judges and lawmakers and educational professionals. Serve well or get out!
Dr. Watkins - please continue to keep us updated on this case and let us know what we can do to continue to push this issue and give it national attention. How can we specifically support Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. in discussions with congress to revise the discriminatory educational system??
Most people are appalled with the treatment of Williams-Bolar in Akron, Ohio except most people in Ohio.
They charged Williams-Bolar and her father with defrauding school services and tampering with records; yet, school officials in the largest district in Ohio are ignoring millions of dollars being defrauded and ignoring the SES Director stating on video she caught one vendor, in particular, blatantly defrauding the SES program. A vendor, who before they were caught, had already been paid over $90,000.
Check out Attorney Bob Fitrakis' article in the Free Press on this NCLB Scam.
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/...
Ohio officials are quick to give Williams-Bolar what they call her “just due” while ignoring these SES vendors blatantly stealing millions of our taxpayer dollars with fake tutoring companies.
White collar crime is so much easier to get away with if you steal millions.
If anyone wants to compare the two through their blog, we in Ohio , who support Williams-Bolar, would certainly appreciate it.
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