June 2021

President’s Message

If you’re paying attention to the news or social media, you’ve seen that Bucks County schools are becoming a battleground, with agitators banging the drum about “Critical Race Theory” (which seems to mean different things depending on who’s talking).  They’re creating a lot of heat; our children will be the ones who get scalded.

It’s time for the adults in the room to cut through the frenzied rhetoric and focus on what’s right for children. If we allow extremists to take over, racial disparities in Bucks County schools will only deepen, leaving children of color farther behind and our county more divided and less prosperous. 

I think the vast majority of Bucks County parents agree on some common-sense principles:

• In an increasingly multicultural nation and county, children of all races must value each other and learn to work together to build a brighter future. Extremists claim that any discussion about race in the classroom will shame white kids and encourage children of color to identify as victims.  In fact, the real history of America encourages children to feel proud of our nation because generations strived to build a more perfect union.  That’s the heart of the American story.  The idea that we need to “protect” children from our history is a terrible disservice to children of all racial backgrounds.

• Every Bucks County child deserves an excellent education that gives them equal opportunity to succeed. Today, we have significant racial achievement gaps in reading and math throughout Bucks County. Depending on school district, Black children score up to 36% lower than white children in reading and up to 32% lower in math.  There are equally pervasive gaps between white and Hispanic children. Why? We all know that Black and Hispanic children have as much potential as white children, but as a recent study by Public Citizens for Children and Youth noted, schools are failing children of color in multiple ways. One key failure is educational funding. Despite the 2016 adoption of a formula that directs new state money to schools serving poorer children, only 11% of funding uses this formula.  And, it's no surprise, the data shows that children of color in better-funded school districts perform better than children of color in less-resourced school districts.  We must close the income-based funding gap.

• Every Bucks County child should feel valued in school. Every parent knows that when the school loves your child, your child loves school – and does better academically. PCCY’s report highlights the importance of school climate: “National studies confirm that school climate – i.e., goals, values, quality of personal relationships, teaching and learning practices, organizational structures, and student and parent perceptions of a student’s quality of education – plays a powerful role in student success.” Today, children of color in Bucks County schools too often feel their school does not value them.  Recently, Bucks County students of color have spoken out about being marginalized. And it’s not just the kids -- statistics show that Black students are suspended from Bucks County schools at a rate four times higher than white students.

All the hullaballoo about Critical Race Theory does nothing to get to these fundamental and widely shared principles.

Our School Board races are our first line of defense in the fight to keep our schools out of the hands of extremists. So ask the candidates what should be taught in American history. Ask how we can be sure every child, including every Black and Brown child, feels valued in our schools. We cannot let our children become the next victims of extremists bent on tearing students, and our county, apart.

Karen Downer

President

NAACP Bucks County Branch #2253

June Events

Planning- Educating- Informing

• Juneteenth is June 19th. Come out to the Bristol Waterfront and celebrate with us from noon to 5pm. There will be food, venders and entertainment. Our First Vice President, John Jordan, will be a guest speaker.

• Our regularly scheduled General Membership Meeting, which normally is held on the 2nd Monday of each month, has been rescheduled to Monday, June 28th at 7PM. We will hold the second of two educational workshop presented by We The People-PA during this meeting.

The goal of this educational workshop is to look at the challenges faced by our state government in meeting the needs of our people not just in this difficult time but beyond it. 

This interactive event will look at the governor’s budget in the context of a broad, long term vision for Pennsylvania that lifts up all working people. We envision a People’s Budget process that brings our voices into the process of state budget making so that WE can advocate to create a state budget that works for all of us.

NAACP Bucks In the News

Pictured above: Just a few members of the NAACP Bucks County Criminal Justice and Education Committee

(L-R top) Rebecca Tillett, Marlene Pray, Patrice Tisdale, Kayma Sherman-Knuckles, Adrienne King

(L-R bottom): Peggy Harpring-Dator, Karen Downer, Helen Tai, Sue-Ann Divito

May 25, 2021, marked the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of former police officer, Derek Chauvin. The somber date was marked with vigils and memorials across the nation. Here in Bucks County, the NAACP Bucks County Branch led a memorial vigil and call to action to “Create Change in George Floyd’s Name”. Many people of all nationalities gathered at the old courthouse in Doylestown to remember the events of the day and to never forget that our fight continues for justice, equality, and police accountability.

We continue to call on our Senators to pass H.R. 1280- the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. The bill will ban chokeholds, hold police accountable for their actions, improve data collection and reform police training.

The event was well-covered by several media outlets including the

Bucks County Courier Times and CBS3 Philly.

Election Day is November 2, 2021

It's never too early to prepare to vote.

The last day to register is October 18, 2021.

The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is October 26, 2021

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