Shelby County Schools In 2011

The decision of the board of Memphis City Schools to deliver the letter has forced our community to look in a mirror. What we have been forced to see is a shameful display of fear, intolerance and racism. The fact that the student population of schools in the city is mostly black and Shelby County schools are white can not be ignored or dismissed easily. Now is the time for our community to find solutions to this disparity and to rise above the color barrier that we have all created. We must find real solutions and consider it an opportunity to overcome our racial fears and look at the big picture.
This region has been considered by the nation as illiterate and uneducated, so let's change that perception. We have before us the opportunity to make the nation aware that the current educational situation in our country is no longer acceptable. We as a community, we require that all children have the opportunity to get an education no matter what your zip code.
Our elected officials have an enormous undertaking before them, and this will be a test of his leadership. If we want economic growth and prosperity for ourselves and our children, we must do more than give lip service to solve our educational dilemma. It has never been a question of our ability, but has always been a question of our integrity.