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| 98 Years Old - Grrr, Baby! |
Protest Against DeVos in Chicago: January 31, 2017
When my brother and I traveled down to the “Say No to Betsy DeVos”
protest at the Federal Building in Chicago this afternoon, we wondered whether
we’d see anyone dressed in a large Grizzly costume. In fact, we scoured a few blocks on the way
to find a costume shop. You might recall
that when asked whether or not schools should be gun-free zones, DeVos cited
the likely need for weapons in some cases; for example, like Wyoming where
grizzlies are present. So, that would be
a yes?
Arrived at Jackson and Dearborn at 3:30.
No Grizzlies, but a swelling crowd of around three hundred
protestors materialized. DeVos had
received a confirmation vote of 12 – 11 hours before in the Committee hearings,
a vote split with a dozen Republican Yays, and eleven Democratic Nays. The full Senate confirmation may fall along
the same lines unless the Democrats hold firm in their opposition and several
or more Republicans agree with education as a right, not a privilege. And an Education Secretary who might perhaps
understand existing laws to protect students in an educational or academic
environment?
The throng of people at the Federal Building grew and the
chanting began – rhythmic and forceful: “Education for the masses. Not just for
the upper classes.”
Placards expressed frustration with much more than
DeVos. Some in Arabic opposed the
immigration crackdown; others listed the various cabinet choices and one effigy
of Trump was carried about as a large puppet.
Note how small the hands are.
Several protestors were arrested for blocking doorways at
the Federal Building, and as they came by to be processed, the crowd stood
against the windows shouting encouragement.
You might also recall that Betsy DeVos’ resume for Secretary
of Education is spotless; that is, missing any real experience in
education. She has no education degree,
no teaching experience, nor any experience working in any school environment. Indeed, none of her children have ever had
any connection to public education. But
she does work hard to generate “for-profit” schools, especially in her home
state of Michigan, where she has, according to the Washington Post, been a
primary force behind the escalation of low-performing charter schools in urban
areas.
While DeVos may decry the salaries of teachers working in
the public school systems, she is not bothered by the superintendents in her
advocated charter systems earning $130,000 annually despite no credentials or
educational experience. And with scores
showing less than state averages despite skimming the public systems for best
candidates.
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| Such little hands... |
“DeVos isn’t an educator, or an education leader. She’s not an expert in
pedagogy or curriculum or school governance. In fact, she has no relevant
credentials or experience for a job setting standards and guiding dollars for
the nation’s public schools.
“She is, in essence, a lobbyist — someone who has used her
extraordinary wealth to influence the conversation about education reform,
and to bend that conversation to her ideological convictions despite the dearth
of evidence supporting them.”
Near the end of the protest, an authentic “Grizzly” showed
up: a 98-year-old Great Grandmother who took the microphone and told the story
of her father’s arrival to America with a falsified passport in 1905. She described her own journey and
matriculation from college at no cost because it was in New York at a
time when the people voted to allow free and public education for everyone.
“What happened to us?’ she asked the crowd. “My grandson won’t tell me what he owes for
his college education, but I got him to nod yes when I guessed $60,000. That’s crazy!
This is wrong. How did we become
99.999% without hope? “
“I’ve seen a lot. I
may be old, I may be 98 years old, but I still have enough fight left for this
battle too.”
Then, the cheers.
Meanwhile, back to DeVos and her husband – and their ersatz-educational
get-richer schemes that provide a thin veil of scientific verisimilitude and
something that might have been invented by an educational branch of Clockwork
Orange: Neurocore. Neurocore is a
growing business in Michigan and Florida offering “time for a mind makeover,”
especially for children who are having issues with attention span or diagnosed
with attention-deficit disorder or even autism.
Patients are provided a therapeutic kind of conversion therapy which includes
watching film and being brought back on task when distracted or
uninterested. Experts in the field find
the proclaimed results of Neurocore’s
Dr. Fotuhi unlikely or questionable
Fotuhi rejects such observations.
DeVos, who currently sits on the board of the company, estimates her
investments at between $5 and $25 million.
“Sounds like conversion therapy,” my brother shook his head. Indeed it does, and it seems that Ms. DeVos
is not free from that charge either.
Senator Al Franken of Minnesota asked her about her deep past
relationships with various religious organizations that use or promote
conversion therapy for LGBTH youngsters.
Ms. DeVos denied any direct connection to such practices or the support
of such methods, but Politico does identify (as did Franken) $10 million in funding of Focus on Family, “an
organization that currently states on its website that, ‘homosexual strugglers
can and do change their sexual behavior and identity.’”
Ms. DeVos denied the allegations and retorted that such
characterizations did “not accurately reflect those of my family.”
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| My brother? |
The leaders of the protest demanded that Durbin and
Duckworth demand the 30 hours of questioning by each Senator for each of
Trump’s candidates in order to know better what kind of character we are
placing in such high office. This is not
a “slow down,” the leader shouted; it is their "right under the law.”
Remember, it will take every Democratic vote and a few
Republicans to turn this danger to public education away. Make your call and call someone – relative or
friend - in another state to make theirs
as well.
Call your senators now! Dial 1-855-882-6229, and tell them to
reject Betsy DeVos' nomination for secretary of education.
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