More high-mindedness needed in a nation overtaken by a coarse culture
While watching the social media circus that ensued after Will Smith nearly slapped the taste out of Chris Rock’s mouth, I got to thinking. Relax, I’m not about to join the legions who have been compelled to share their take on the slap that was heard and seen around the world.
I must admit, however, that I appreciated the way that Denzel Washington responded to the real reality-show moment. But my afterthoughts for the most part centered on this: What if just a fraction of the public attention lavished on Will, Chris and Jada somehow focused on eliminating persistent societal problems such as the inequities that exist in public schools nationwide?
After all, everyone stands to benefit. For example, businesses would have a better-educated workforce and fewer taxpayer dollars would have to be spent on social services, law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Granted that may sound utopian. But for a nation that has been overtaken by a coarse culture once largely limited to Jerry Springer-like TV show studios, we could stand a lot more high-mindedness.
Look at what’s going on in Alachua County, where inequities in public schools are among the worst anywhere in this country. Says who? Statistics from the Florida Department of Education.
For more than a few years the numbers have shown that Alachua County has had the widest achievement gaps between Black and white students in Florida. And there have been only a few slight indicators of the problem subsiding.
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The latest statistics from the Florida Standards Assessment, which determines whether third grade students can read and write proficiently, show only 25% of Black children made the mark while 72% of white students passed. The difference between the two is a whopping 47 percentage points — four points wider than before the pandemic hit in 2020.
What’s more, the reading gap in Alachua County is almost 20 percentage points higher than the statewide average.
Of course, our schools can and must do better. But it’s going to take the collective effort of the community working in tandem with the school district.
Gainesville For All recommended this approach as part of its startup in 2016 but to no avail. Consequently, we decided to step out of our advocacy role to demonstrate how such a community-school district partnership would work.
For the past several years GNV4ALL has been laying the groundwork for the opening this fall of the Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center on the campus of Metcalfe Elementary School. The Family Learning Center will connect pregnant low-income mothers to prenatal services and provide high-quality child care and research-based early learning educational services to their children starting at 6 weeks old and through age 5.
Because these families are often problem-plagued for myriad reasons, we’ll also connect them to existing community services that include parent coaching, affordable housing, health and dental care, and job counseling. For too long, children from these families have been showing up for kindergarten lagging far behind their middle-class peers and never catch up. We're committed to turning around this no longer tolerable situation.
Next week, David Lawrence Jr., founder of the Children’s Movement of Florida, will visit Gainesville to promote our Family Learning Center. He volunteered to do so after learning about GNV4ALL’s plans for systemic change in the way public schools serve low-income families.
As a concerned citizen, you too can help. Email us at gnv4all@gmail.com or visit our website, gnv4all.org, to find out ways to contribute.
James F. Lawrence is executive director of GNV4ALL.
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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: James F. Lawrence: Focus on inequities, not Will Smith's Oscars slap
