Detroit's Civil War: Why DPS Board Members Are Running For The Wrong Reasons by Akindele Akinyemi

The race for educational options has begun in Detroit. If we are not talking about building emerging sectors through educational options in our community then our community is doomed. One person told me that I was the educational choice guru and family planner in these races.

I know for sure about one thing. We cannot allow the following people to go to Lansing.

I would have left State Rep. Bettie Cook Scott alone (seriously) until I read this criminal legislation below from Michigan Votes.

Introduced by Rep. Bettie Scott on February 19, 2008, to reduce from 100,000 to 75,000 the number of students that qualify a school district as a “school district of the first class.” Detroit is the only such district, which is a statutory device to allow the Detroit School District to be exempted from a variety of regulations that apply to other districts, and receive special treatment in other ways. The Detroit district has lost tens of thousands of students in recent years, and is expected to fall below the 100,000 threshold soon.

This is the most asinine piece of legislation I have ever seen or read. A direct slap in the face to those who seek to escape from Detroit Public Schools. This legislation is compared to someone being raped and killed. The legislation is anti-family, anti-education and anti-choice.

This is why I am supporting this woman to go toe to toe with her in District 3.


While Rep. Scott finds time to write bills that keeps children trapped in failing public schools Carol Banks understands the importance of educational choice. Carol believes in fighting poverty and restoring families through faith and trust of her constituents. Carol Banks wants to transform the dynamic of inner-city black children in her district growing up in broken families, go to public schools where traditional values are off-limits, and consume popular American culture that celebrates the relativism that has destroyed these communities by restoring family and faith back into the district. Rep. Scott, on the other hand, has a make it up as you go along, do what you feel like, and get votes to justify what you want to be true when it comes to educational reform. Materialism. Relativism. Hedonism. Life as grass-roots activism. Anything you can muster enough votes for must be true.

This is the pure reason why Rep. Scott must never, in her lifetime, go back to Lansing after August 5th. However, things are in motion with that bill and now we have some who pretended to be part of the solution on the Detroit Public School Board showing their true colors.

For instance, Terry Catchings. Terry is a Detroit Public School Board member who only got on the school board to run for State Representative again. Now things are getting interesting. If Terry wins that seat then he will not support educational options for our children but support that criminal legislation that Rep. Scott introduced.

So who can stop this guy once and for all? Enter State Representative Bert Johnson.

Of course, I have had numerous conversations with Rep. Johnson and just like some people want to point out how Catchings is a Doughboy for Life (he is a graduate of Pershing High School), Johnson is a graduate of the prestigious U-D Jesuit High School and Academy. Rep. Johnson supports educational choices for children and vowed to step up to the plate even more to make sure that this comes into fruition. This is why Rep. Johnson has my support.

Besides, how can Terry Catchings run for anything when his own alma mater looks like this:

Pershing High School

Reading Scores: 37.5%

Math Scores: 12.5%

Source: School Matters

I do not have to say anything else about Catchings. See if he can catch us this time.

What about Dr. Jimmy Womack. Why is he running for State Representative in District 7. Well there are three reasons. One, to protect the DPS funding that Rep. Scott erroneously introduced. Two, to prepare for his run at City Council (which is dumb because he is already elected at-large in Detroit) and three, to restore his self after acting like a fool as President of the Detroit School Board.

Regardless of the name recognition we knew from day one he was not faithful to our children's education. This is why he is running for State Representative. However, he has hit a road block.

That is because Dr. Carol Weaver is running in this district. Because I have made Carol Weaver a emergency priority to get elected we will be pulling out every single resource to help her defeat this person. Already City Residence is on board with her and our entire network is supporting her.

Under Dr. Womack's leadership in DPS 24% of Detroit Public School only graduate from high school while 76% drop out. Yet, he wants to go to Lansing to stop educational choice. That will not happen under our watch with Dr. Weaver in the race. She will go toe to toe with Womack.

Then we have an old school sister named Annie Carter who sits on the Detroit School Board. Something told me in my gut that she would run for state representative in District 11. Here is one strong anti-educational choice opponent who would rather see Rep. Scott's bill pass than give families a option to send their children. It's too bad that she has hit a road block as well because Jeanean M. Bryant is running in this race and has my support 1000%.

Originally, I was leaning towards Gary Pollard in this race until Jeanean showed up at the 11th hour. I cannot leave one of my supporters for educational choice hanging. As a community activist with a heart and mind for the people, Jeanean has been recognized as a young progressive leader with a mission to mobilize and engage the community into the political process. “I value social justice and equality for all men and women regardless of race”, she says. “It is imperative to create an environment of cultural competence and equal opportunity.”

In addition, Jeanean is the Chair of the Civil Engagement Committee for the NAACP Detroit Branch. She is a member of the Michigan Democratic Party, Michigan Young Democrats, National Congress of Black Women Inc., and National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Jeanean is also an Executive Board Member of the 14th Congressional District, Mary Church Terrell Council for Community Empowerment and the National Conference on Adult Literacy and Education. She is a member of the Democratic Black Caucus and is a proud and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. – Detroit Alumnae Chapter.

Do you think I am going to allow Annie Carter, of all people, to win that seat in District 11 and keep our children trapped in an oblivion? We will make sure Jeanean goes to Lansing and help restore family values and economic development in urban areas across the State of Michigan.

This is a real civil war here in the City of Detroit. Those who want to keep the status quo and those who want to free our children. The underground railroad is up and running. We need to help our candidates these elections.

Let me leave you with one thing. Family values through educational choice will bring wealth creation to our city. If these candidates support that core principle in August they will not fail because the community will embrace them. After all, we should be in the business of transforming Detroit and our region regardless of our political affiliation or network.