Daytona Beach, FL - In a press release comparing US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to its founder, Mary McLeod Bethune, Bethune-Cookman University has officially announced that the Donald Trump appointee will be the keynote speaker for the 2017 spring commencement ceremony, sparking outrage from some students, alumni, and the FL chapter of the NAACP, which has called on DeVos to decline the invitation.
In their press release, Bethune-Cookman University's Office of Communications said this: "Much like Dr. Bethune, Founder of Bethune-Cookman University, Secretary DeVos deems the importance of opportunity and hope for students to receive an exceptional education experience. Her mission to empower parents and students resonates with the history and legacy of Dr. Bethune."
B-CU's President, Dr. Edison O. Jackson, elaborated by saying, “Bethune-Cookman University is a school built on the legacy and the transformation of students. Dr. Bethune's love for students started with five little girls and grew to over 250 students during her time as university president.” He went on to say, “The legacy of Dr. Bethune is that she was not constrained by political ideology, but worked across all parties to support B-CU."
The university points to the fact that its students are directly impacted by funding from DeVos' Department of Education.
The full press release can be found here.
The Florida Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has issued its own press release condemning the decision. They've asked DeVos to decline the invitation from B-CU "based on her horrible public education record impacting blacks and minorities in Florida and around the country."
Adora Obi Nweze, who's President of the NAACP FL State Conference and a member of the National Board of Directors, said that "what makes the Bethune-Cookman University approach unusual, is their plan to honor a person who has been on the job less than one hundred days and has no record of advancing educational equity for all students. The role of the U.S. Department of Education is to prohibit discrimination ensuring equal access to public education and the new Secretary of Education should pledge to drastically increase funding for all historically black colleges and universities. This has not happened to date. If Secretary DeVos ultimately speaks at commencement and receives an honorary degree, this would be a slap in the face to minorities, women and all communities of color."
The full statement can be read here.
The commencement ceremony is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, located at 101 N Atlantic Ave. The ceremony will be streamed live at Cookman.edu.
(Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education. Photo courtesy ED.gov)
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
