TPSB recognizes teachers, principals of the year
November 6, 2013CRIME BLOTTER: Reported offenses in the Tri-parishes
November 6, 2013
As inequality persists, people of all races and backgrounds must strive for change if the United States is to lead the world in education, which is essential for success, Xavier University’s president said.
Norman Francis was the keynote speaker at the Lafourche Parish NAACP’s fourth annual Freedom Fund and Scholarship Awards Banquet, held at the Moses Community Center in Thibodaux. Appointed in 1968 as Xavier’s first non-clergy president, he is the country’s longest sitting university president. In 2006, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Francis served on President Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education, which published a report calling for educational reform in the United States.
“You cannot pour equal amounts of water in unequal glasses. … You have to pour it equitably,” he said to applause. “We have enough educational water in the United States to give everybody a full glass of education.”
He noted that the U.S. has made progress but is still behind other countries in education. He said that racial and educational gaps continue to increase and that everyone must work together to close them.
“Too often, people get the idea that you have a hole at the bottom of your boat and they don’t. We are all in the same boat,” he said.
Francis has twice spoken at Nicholls State University for commencement. He said that although his parents never completed high school, they made sure he and his siblings were educated. Despite acknowledging that a four-year degree may not suit all students, he stressed that every job requires reading, writing and computer skills. He said he considers education the most valuable tool and criticized the fact that famous musicians and athletes have higher salaries than teachers.
Chapter President Burnell Tolbert said Francis was selected as the keynote speaker because of his work with youth seeking education. Tolbert referred to the banquet’s theme, “Education Equals Success Equals Freedom,” saying education can liberate people by giving them a chance at financial stability:
“Living in poverty, I look at that as living in a form of slavery – not that anybody else imposes on you, but that you impose on yourself for not taking advantage of the opportunities you have to elevate yourself.”
Kenneth Polite, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Tracie Washington, president of the Louisiana Justice Institute, served as the banquet’s special guests.
Polite, a graduate of Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Center, took the oath of office in September. In his speech, he challenged guests to work toward justice in the local community.
“To the young people who are with us tonight, you are truly the most powerful people in this room,” he said. “You have the ability to ensure that southeast Louisiana is a safe place to live and a fair place to do business.”
Washington co-hosts “The Good Morning Show” on WBOK-AM. The Grio named her one of “100 History Makers in the Making.” She spoke about her work on civil rights cases following Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s not New Orleans civil rights work. It’s not Baton Rouge social justice work. It is our work as a people,” she said.
Others in attendance included state Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard, Lafourche Sheriff Craig Webre, Thibodaux Council Administrator Lloyd “Chip” Badeaux and NAACP chapter representatives.
Ten $1,000 scholarships were awarded to local high school graduates pursuing higher education. Tolbert said this is the highest number of recipients in the four years the scholarships have been given. Recipients included Symone Fletcher, Kevin Tran, Ja’wauntez Patterson, Summer Alicia Antrell Saulter, Mark Golden Jr., Andrew Russell, Myron Saul and Trevon Leraz Cole.
“You have every opportunity in the world to make all your dreams come true,” said scholarship recipient Faye Cooper, a sophomore at Nicholls. “You just have to put all your determination and motivation into it.”
Lafourche NAACP scholarship recipients and stand-ins are honored at the Freedom Fund and Scholarship Banquet at the Moses Community Center in Thibodaux. Each student was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
