Editor’s Note: For your convenience the Feb 7, 2017 article is provided below. The updated Comment from Rev Murphy follows. Enjoy!!
Former Cleveland County NAACP President Praises Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary !!!– Challenges Democrats to “Give Credit where Credit is Due” Report by Robert A. Williams
February 7, 2017
Rev. Dante A. Murphy, a former Cleveland County NAACP President, sent me the following email message. Rev. Murphy attended many of the Cleveland County School Board meetings as I did. He heard what I heard and he saw what I saw. The public schools in Cleveland County, North Carolina and the USA have obviously failed our children and especially black children. And every right-thinking person should be able to see what is happening and know our education system needs fixing.
Rev. Murphy’s email is as follows. Nothing has been edited or revised.
From Rev. Murphy:
Robert,
It is my guess that few democrats or blacks will go on record praising Donald Trump, but I’m excited about his choice and ultimate confirmation of DeVos.
As a longtime registered democrat and being of African American decent I want to go on record as saying that one of the most courageous and greatest appointments of all time may be the selection of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary. Considering the current status of the educational system in America someone at some point in history had to bite the bullet and declare that enough is enough. The challenge for my fellow democrats is now to also bite the bullet and give credit where credit is due. Donald Trump is in control of our nation and whether you like him or not he is doing one thing that many politicians, both republicans and democrats, have failed at-going against the grain and doing things differently to “make America great again.” It is my hopes and prayers that at the end of Trump’s administration he can say in the words of Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way” and it worked!
D. A. Murphy
New Comment from Rev. Murphy:
Mr. Williams,
Despite the loss of President Donald Trump in the 2020 election the world of politics received a much needed shake up over the past four years. Most notable was his appointment of Betsy Devos as Secretary of Education. Her pro-(School) choice stance served notice that the status quo in education must be challenged. Both Democrats and Republicans agree that our public schools in America is a broken system. We need elected officials at the local level to embrace reform or at least give a choice to parents.
The newly elected Cleveland County school board members will hopefully learn from the lost opportunities of the first two years of the Trump administration—Republicans controlled both the House of Representatives and Senate. It is my hope that the loud and continuous plea by Danny Blanton for accountability and transparency is echoed by the new board members.
I pray God’s blessings and look forward to the Cleveland County Board of Education doing what few are willing to do and take the road less traveled. There is nothing partisan about child safety and well-being.
Rev. Dante’ Murphy
