Delaware GOP on Education - Dwight L Davis, and Calvin Brown

Well, an old friend of mine, he is president of the Model Cities Motivational Center, Dwight Davis. Good afternoon and thank you, the Honorable M. Jane Brady, my dear friend. My name is Dwight L. Davis and I am the president of the Model Cities Motivational Center and the Model Cities Motivational Center was the first organization in the city of Wilmington to rise out of the ashes of the 1968 civil disturbance. But let me just say that this school, William P. Bancroft, was the first school that I was able to involuntarily choice to. In 1964, after finishing my seventh grade at Bayard School, I began to play sports over here on the east side and the individuals that I met all went to Bancroft. So when it was time to return back to school, I came over to Bancroft and the principal said, little boy, we can't find your records. And where do you live? I said, well, I live on the west side, 626 Madison Street. They said, well, you should be at Bayard. I said, I don't want to go to Bayard. And they said, call his mother. And my mother, Lillian Mae Davis, said, if my son can go to a school where he wants to go, then if you can make that happen, you have my support. So I went to Bancroft. Eventually, I went on to Howard High School and graduated from Delaware State College, which is now Delaware State University. Education is so important for us here in the city of Wilmington because at this particular time, we are in probably the worst time in violence and unrest that this city has had since the 1968 riots. And so it is important that in addition to political freedom that the predominantly African American community has realized that what we're lacking is economic freedom. And economic freedom is that which does not allow children and their parents to choice. This state has done nothing to help the charter schools in the city of Wilmington to survive. And there's a lack of diversity of those who are in policy positions down at the state level that prevents us from having inclusion. So we are trying to advocate for a citywide school district that would be based upon the concept that my friend M.J. Brady and Mr. Bruce Rousseau has just discussed. And so I want to say that we're lending our support and energy behind this effort in order to provide the necessary capital because the state of Delaware has the capital for education to make sure that all of our children not only have the necessary books but face books. They have the necessary tool and education should also be given to their parents as well. So we're here to support this effort and to lend all of our energy behind bringing education into a reality here in the state of Delaware and the city of Wilmington. Thank you very much. Thank you Dwight. Finally I'd like to introduce Calvin Brown who's a candidate for Wilmington city council at large. Good afternoon my name is Calvin Brown. I'm a candidate for city council at large. Mr. Rousseau don't remember me but my son Amir went to the Wilmington charter school when it first started to open. He then went on to graduate from Delaware State and now the charter school math teacher in Brooklyn, New York. Education means a lot. I was born and raised here in Wilmington, Delaware. I was kind of like the arch enemy of Bairdcroft. I went to Warner junior high school then and went on to P.S. DuPont and then went to the United States Air Force. Then finally be able to come back and graduate from college under the GI Bill. Education has opened so many doors for so many people especially in the African-American community. It is important the charter schools have played so much in the education process in lifting so many African-Americans out of poverty. It is one of the best institutions that the state of Delaware has come up with but I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed that we haven't done more to make this a reality for all children. We should offer choice in all areas so that the kids can go where the best education is being available not just because it's politically expedient for them to go somewhere but that they should be able to educate themselves and be able to be effective in the society that we live in. One of the problems with civil disruption is a lot of people feel left out of the process, left out of the economic process, left out of the political process and what education does is opens a great door for everybody. It is the ultimate equalizer so I would like to thank the Honorable Emma Jane Braid those that are supporting choice all over the state. I think it's a great opportunity for the Wilmington and while the council is not directly responding for education we used to have our own public school system here the Wilmington public school system but I'm very proud to be a part of so maybe in this election period you would look at the candidates position on education to make that a priority to help with all that we're doing here. Thank you so much and I appreciate your support in November. Thank you. I know some of these individuals is that in the course of my career of course I was politically active. I was born on the east side of Wilmington. I'm one of seven kids. I lived in a row home on East 28th Street after we left East Lakes. I know the east side of Wilmington. I know there's talent here. I know there's ability here and we need to develop that. We need to give these kids a fair shake and we're not doing that right now and I just feel education opens doors. We should not consign the children based on where they live or what school they attend to living behind closed doors.