A CHANCE: Empowering school choice

In a move that underscores Marxist ideology and the rigidity of the left, a few weeks ago, black social media launched an attack on Jay-Z—Hova—Shawn Carter because, Roc Nation, the company he founded in 2008, has the audacity to support, "Pass It Forward," a campaign in support of a bill backed by Jeff Yass, the wealthiest man in Pennsylvania and a prominent Republican. This bill aims to provide students in low-performing public schools with a choice—a lifeline to better educational opportunities when school system in districts have failed. But black podcasters are making the most ludicrous arguments against the bill and against Jay Z.

We all know Jay-Z epitomizes what American success looks like for a Black man raised in the '80s. Not Tupac or Biggie, but he is, right now, our living example of what excellence looks like after overcoming tremendous struggles. Yet, some argue this Black man is not doing enough. Black media is ablaze, criticizing him fiercely—not because he has committed a crime or because there are allegations of misconduct against him. Rather, Jay-Z is being called out because he supports school choice.

Mark Lamont Hill, called out Hova. Sabby Sabs called Jay-z’s campaign a scam. Jerrell Blakeley, Director of Government, Community, and Racial and Social Justice for Indiana's largest labor union, (Yes I don’t know him either), but he criticized Jay-Z in a Substack article entitled “Can Knock the Hustle,” a snub to Jay-Z first album, Reasonable Doubt. But even my girl, Yvette Carnell, founder of ADOS (American Descendants of Slaves), has joined the ranks attacking Jay-Z.

These folks make it plain: Jay-Z has done nothing for the Black community except bring more Black faces to the Super Bowl halftime shows and the Made in America Concert—a concert that creates a platform for Black rappers and entertainers.

Jay-Z is nothing more then a capitalist—even worse he is a black capitalist—talk about the Known World. The nerve of Jay-Z to shake hands with a white Republican in an attempt to rob black schools. The Pass It Forward campaign was established to gain support for the Republican-backed Senate Bill 795, the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarship program. According to loudmouth black media, we should not believe the hype! This campaign is a scam and will only benefit Jay-Z—the capitalist. Somehow, when a black man has enough resources to scale, he is torn down by the left for doing so.

Jay-Z, used to be an entertainer, but he has now transformed into a business—MAN, now according to Marxist he is not giving enough of his wealth back to the black community. How dare he take advantage of an opportunity to help even one single student from the ghetto by giving them a choice between a private school or a failed public school system.

Meanwhile, those of us hoping for reparations out of the fabric of America will take resources from that same soil without prejudice. This double standard is glaring, as successful black individuals are often criticized for their achievements and accused of not doing enough, despite their efforts to make a difference.

The left’s unwavering commitment to a failing public school system, despite its disorganization and lack of merit, highlights a troubling trend. Instead of embracing policies that empower students with options, they cling to an outdated model that continually underperforms and disadvantages our children.

Despite the Nation's Report Card showing that private schools outperform charter and public schools whenever private schools are included, some would suggest we ignore this data and instead cherry-pick individual states to form our opinions. It’s as if we are so unaware we don’t understand states may face challenges with implementing voucher programs. They negate the broader trends observed nationwide. However, the left would like for you to base your opinion on a few statics. Based on skewed facts the argue vouchers for private schools do not achieve educational outcomes comparable to public schools. Additionally, they argue that vouchers are mostly advantageous for families earning over $100,000 annually.

Their perspective often overlooks broader data sets, such as those from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Schools Dashboard. The NAEP manages a comprehensive assessment, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education, and provides an ongoing evaluation of public, charter, and private schools nationwide. The data indicates that private schools generally perform better than public and charter schools, in particular for students in the 4 or 8th grades.

It is true that vouchers for public schools benefit groups that make more money. However, there are other factors to consider when thinking about poorer communities, namely that the poorest communities can’t afford the difference between the voucher payment per student and the cost of private schools. The fact they are the last to get information is no surprise, as information is sometimes slow to trickle down to the poorest communities. But does that mean give up and continue to put gas into bombs.

Part of Jay-Z's audience is made up of poor communities, and his campaign with Roc Nation aims to bring awareness to additional educational options for the poorest in the community. However, some criticize this as a capitalist move exploiting black students and undermining the public education safety net. To clarify, Jay-Z isn't donating millions to voucher programs; instead, he's informing the community about existing alternatives. Roc Nation is committed to enlightening the black community about other choices available beyond the public and charter school systems, especially in failing districts like Philadelphia.

Contrarily, some black podcasters accuse Jay-Z of using scare tactics, supporting a white Republican agenda to dismantle the public school system. Critics of the bill argue that it will drain resources from the public schools, offering no real benefit to the community and effectively crippling the public education system..

The reality though is school systems are already crippled. Public schools are no longer teaching just science and math. The school system follows shifting culture norms, teaches ideas that are one sided and narrow minded. School choice not only empowers parents with the freedom to select educational environments that best suit their children's needs, fostering greater parental engagement and student success, but also catalyzes innovation and diversity in educational methods.

In my opinion, the greatest benefit of voucher programs to the public school system is the potential to create competition. By giving students a choice, I believe it will compel the public school system to compete with private and charter schools. If public schools want more students, they should compete. This approach is more democratic than having no choice at all. Parents and students should have the opportunity to select a school that aligns with their thinking and mindset. If public schools aim to attract individuals capable of getting into private and charter schools, they should strive to compete with these institutions.

By introducing competition, it holds schools accountable, encouraging them to improve their offerings and performance. This, in turn, alleviates overcrowding in public schools, enhances educational quality across the board, and promotes long-term economic benefits by cultivating a more skilled workforce. Ultimately, school choice serves as a vital tool for social equity, providing all children, regardless of their economic background, the opportunity to access superior educational resources and opportunities.

Jeff Yass and his associates at Susquehanna International Group have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into foundations that support school choice. These efforts are not about politics but about providing quality education to those who need it most. Yet, the left’s reaction is to demonize anyone who dares to support this cause, even if it means attacking a black superstar like Jay-Z for aligning with a Republican.

Left-leaning blacks are the first to scream and holler about choice but the first to suppress choice from every conversation. A baby in the womb has no choice, and neither does a child trapped in a failing school system that offers no realistic path out of their circumstances. In every case it’s the system that matters, not the children, especially not the “black and brown.”

The resistance to school choice is a disservice to black students trapped in underperforming schools. They want billionaires from the black community to continue pouring gas on a fire, continuing to invest in failing school systems that attempt to brainwash our children in failing school districts.

It’s time to question why the left continues to champion a broken system and to recognize that the real solution lies in providing our children with the choices they deserve.

While many out here will argue what Jay-Z is doing is a scam, an attempt to double-down on his wealth using the black community,

I say Give it—