Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)

DeVos says she didn’t decry racism enough

- By Maria Danilova and Carole Feldman

WASHINGTON » Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday distanced herself from her comment earlier this year about the nation’s historical­ly black colleges and universiti­es being pioneers of school choice, saying that in the past “there were no choices” for African-Americans in higher education.

“When I talked about it being a pioneer in choice it was because I acknowledg­e that racism was rampant and there were no choices,” DeVos said in an interview with The Associated Press in her office at the Education Department. “These HBCUs provided choices for black students that they didn’t have.”

DeVos, who marks six months in office this week, alienated many African-Americans in February when she described historical­ly black colleges as “real pioneers when it comes to school choice.” In May, she was booed while attending the commenceme­nt ceremony at a historical­ly black college in Florida.

“My intention was to say they were pioneering on behalf of students that didn’t have another choice. This was their only choice,” DeVos said. “At the same time I should have decried much more forcefully the ravages of racism in this country.”

The Trump administra­tion and DeVos have come under criticism from civil rights advocates for undoing some civil rights protection­s, including rescinding Obamaera federal guidance that instructed schools to allow transgende­r students to use the bathrooms of their choice and President Donald Trump calling for banning transgende­r individual­s from serving in the military.

DeVos, a billionair­e Republican donor and longstandi­ng school choice activist from Michigan, said that she has spent her career campaignin­g on behalf of minority children.

“That’s where my heart has been for three decades is to really empower and allow all families the same kind of opportunit­ies I’ve had for my kids,” she said.

At the same time, DeVos acknowledg­ed that she could have done more to reach out to African-American communitie­s around the country to make her position more clear.

“I’ve had these conversati­ons with some of the African-American organizati­ons that represent higher education, but probably not as explicitly as I am right now,” DeVos said.

The NAACP and the National Associatio­n For Equal Opportunit­y in Higher Education did not return requests for comment about DeVos’ remarks.

“It was a mistake and it sounds like she’s acknowledg­ed it,” said Johnny Taylor, president of Thurgood Marshall College Fund, an organizati­on representi­ng HBCUs. “The reality is that people who decided that one statement, an error, is a statement about her commitment and knowledge about HBCUs — it’s not realistic, it’s not fair.”

Marybeth Gasman, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvan­ia who studies minority-serving institutio­ns, wasn’t convinced.

“At the time she made the comments about school choice, I am certain she was trying to promote her school choice agenda,” Gasman said in an e-mail. “I am glad she realizes the comments were offensive. That’s important.”

The issue of minorities’ access to higher education remains controvers­ial today. The Justice Department said last week it would conduct an inquiry into how race influences admissions at Harvard University after a coalition of more than 60 Asian-American groups brought a complaint alleging the school uses race as a factor in admissions and discrimina­tes against Asian-Americans by holding them to a higher standard.

 ?? JACQUELYN MARTIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? In an interview with the AP, Betsy DeVos has acknowledg­ed that in the past “racism was rampant and there were no choices” for African-Americans in higher education.
JACQUELYN MARTIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In an interview with the AP, Betsy DeVos has acknowledg­ed that in the past “racism was rampant and there were no choices” for African-Americans in higher education.

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