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Page 10 The Skanner December 20, 2017 News CBC Members Call Trump Presence at Museum Opening an Insult John Lewis and Bennie Thompson Spar with President Over Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Dedication sented in this museum exemplify the truth of what really happened in Mississippi. President Trump’s disparaging comments about wom- en, the disabled, immi- grants, and National Football League players disrespect the efforts of Fannie Lou Hamer, Aar- on Henry, Medgar Evers, Robert Clark, James Chaney, Andrew Good- By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire PA S T FREDDIE ALLEN/AMG/NNPA W hen two mem- bers of the Congressional Black Caucus, longtime Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), heard that President Donald Trump planned to attend the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum dedica- tion ceremony, they both announced that they would forego the event. The White House was critical. On Dec. 7, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “We think it’s unfortu- nate that these members of Congress wouldn’t join the president in hon- oring the incredible sac- rifice civil rights leaders made to right the injus- tices in our history. The president hopes others will join him in recogniz- ing that the movement was about removing barriers and unifying Americans of all back- grounds.” From that statement, you might never have guessed that the White House spokesperson was referring to a civil rights leader: Congressman John Lewis. Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) (pictured) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) declined invitations to attend the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum dedication ceremony, when they learned that President Donald Trump was also invited. This photo was taken during a Congressional Black Caucus press conference on police brutality at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. in 2016. “It’s laughable that the White House is criticiz- ing John Lewis and Ben- nie Thompson for not at- tending the opening of a civil rights museum that honors the sacrifices of ...wait...John Lewis, Ben- nie Thompson, and many others,” said CBC Chair- man Cedric Richmond (D-La.). “This White House is not serious about civil rights. From dismantling the civil rights division in [the Department of Justice] to equating peaceful peo- ple who protested racism to neo-Nazi’s and White supremacists, they just don’t get it.” T N E EV In a joint statement on December 7, Thompson and Lewis wrote: “After careful consideration and conversations with church leaders, elect- ed officials, civil rights activists, and many cit- izens of our congressio- nal districts, we have decided not to attend or participate in the open- ing of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.” The statement con- tinued: “President Trump’s attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the peo- ple portrayed in this civil rights museum. The struggles repre- man, Michael Schwer- ner, and countless others who have given their all for Mississippi to be a better place. After Presi- dent Trump departs, we encourage all Mississip- pians and Americans to visit this historic civil rights museum.” Trump visited a few southern states the weekend before the spe- cial election to fill the Alabama Senate seat of former Senator Jeff Ses- sions, who is now the U.S. Attorney General. Lauren Victoria Burke is the White House Corre- spondent for NNPA News- wire and a writer and political analyst. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail. com and on Twitter at @ LVBurke. Education cont’d from pg 9 the historic civil rights law passed in 1965 and effectively replaced the Bush- era No Child Left Behind Act. Transparency and parental engage- ment are integral parts of the new law. Under ESSA, all schools receiving Title I funds must inform parents of their right to request information about the professional qualifications of their children’s teachers; parents “ Parents will have a one-stop-shop that provides infor- mation they need about how stu- dents and schools in their communi- ty are performing are also encouraged to support their children’s educational experiences by communicating regularly with teach- ers. In a post on “The 74,” a nonprof- it news site dedicated to education, Rashidah Morgan of Education First, said that, “Greater transparency about school quality, will ultimately empow- er parents to make more knowledge- able choices about schools.” Also, transparency on spending and academic results help the public un- derstand how schools are performing in their communities, said Chad Al- deman, a principal at Bellwether Ed- ucation Partners, a Washington, D.C.- based nonprofit focused on changing the outcomes and education life for the underserved. “Accountability systems only work, if people understand what they’re being held accountable for and have enough information to know how to respond,” Aldeman said, adding that parents need good information to make informed choices about where to send their children. “To make that a re- ality, parents need information about both their own child’s performance, as well as how similar students are per- forming in other schools.” Finally, clear, transparent school and district report cards help fami- lies make critical decisions and equip community members and the public to push for needed improvement in schools, said Dr. Lillian Lowery, the vice president of PreK-12 Policy, Re- search and Practice at The Education Trust, a nonprofit based in Washing- ton, D.C. that promotes high academic achievement for students at all levels, particularly students of color and those of low-income. “ESSA requires states to report a lot of important information on how schools are doing at preparing all groups of students, including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners and students with disabilities, for post-high school success,” said Lowery. “To maximize the usefulness of this information, state leaders should work with fami- lies and education advocates to ensure that report cards are easy to access and understand.” Learn more about the Every Student Succeeds Act at nnpa.org/essa.