Jun 28

Looking Back on China (5): Goodbye, Engineer-Presidents

While 25 of America’s Presidents have been lawyers, China, for the very first time in its more than 60 years history, welcomes a former law student as one of the top national leaders. Li Keqiang, a Bachelor of Law degree holder from the Peking University, was nominated as Prime Minister in early March. Having been studying law both in China and America for four years, I could not be happier. It seems that the spring for lawyers has eventually come.

In the larger picture, Chinese politics has ushered in a completely new era. Among 7 members of the new Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the de facto most powerful decision-making body new generation of leadersin China, 6 have an academic background in humanities or social science, and only one is from engineering school. It is a highly intellectual group from a brand new background. The intellectual elites with social science or humanities background, such as economists and jurists, step onto the arena of history and start to play a predominant role in the largest ruling political party in the world.

On the contrary, when Jiang Zemin was in power, all of the Politburo Standing Committee members were engineers or even senior engineers. It is a positive signal, that China finally says goodbye to Engineer-Presidents and will have more leaders with a social science or humanities background in the future.

Throughout the history of the People’s Republic of China, the backgrounds of the top leaders have an outstanding generational characteristic. The first and second generations of top leaders, with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping at the core respectively, were overwhelmingly revolutionists. They founded the socialist country in a hail of bullets and their main job was to consolidate the new regime against Western powers. The following two generations of top leaders, led by Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, were mostly technical experts in water conservation, geology, oil drilling and so forth. In the new era of Reform and Opening[5], everything took economic construction as the center. The engineers who were politically reliable and technologically talented easily stood out due to their exceptional contributions in infrastructure construction and machinery manufacturing. In the textbooks of political science, they are labeled as technocrats. I am not saying that they cannot lead the country well. Actually they are indeed competent to meet the demands of the times to rapidly develop the economy. But I fear that they are virtually unable to satisfy the public’s calls for democracy, economic equity and legal construction.

As a law student myself, I know what it means to China. In the modern society, the increasingly diverse values and the growing complications created from social contradictions require leaders with humanist spirits and professionalism. The times have set the stage for more profound social changes launched by jurists and economists. If a person immerses himself or herself in the law classics such as On Liberty, The Second Treatise of Government, The Spirit of the Laws and so forth, they will spontaneously cultivate themselves a strong legal faith. It is a brief from the bottom of their hearts that perceives law as sovereign over any individuals or orders. With such sincere faith in mind, leaders are capable to cope with the issue more fundamentally and thoroughly, because it is achieved by means of law.

Look at China’s neighbors. Most of Japanese politicians have a law or economics background. Ma Ying-jeou, the President of Republic of China (Taiwan), obtained LLM from NYU and SJD from Harvard Law School. In his term as the Minister of Justice during 1993 to 1996, he was famous for his stern attitude to fight against corruption among politicians and police, which even caused him to be fired. It is the basic virtue that every law student is taught to possess. He also set the best example for the leaders across the strait.

Unfortunately, however, don’t get too excited about Chinese politics right now. When democracy can only be Continue reading

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Jun 27

969 Extremists

Burma is known for its ethnic tensions within the country, but did you know that religious tensions are heightening as you are reading this? The largest religious group in Burma are Buddhists and 89% of the people practice it. The second largest religious groups are the Christians and Muslims which each accounting for 4% of the population. What is going on in this area right now is religious cleansing by the Buddhist extremist group called “969” and they are targeting Muslims and spreading anti-Muslim sentiments. Extremists have been boycotting and attacking 201352984419128561_8innocent Muslims. More than 200 people have been killed and more than 140,000 have been displaced because of this group. The Buddhist extremists started rampaging Muslims last year and has been gaining momentum. Something needs to be done to stop this religious cleansing.

Looking back at history, you don’t really hear much about Buddhism getting into conflicts with other religions. Let alone, you don’t really hear about Buddhists acting violently. This probably has to do with the fact that Buddhism is very tolerant of other religions and agrees with the moral teachings of other religions.This is where it gets a little puzzling for me. The 969 Buddhists are going out there and destroying the lives of innocent Muslims in Burma. Why is this group so different from the rest of the Buddhist in the world today and why do they have so much hatred towards Muslims? The 969 group is lead by a monk named Ashin Wirathu and he has been preaching sermons about how Muslims are troublemakers. They think that Muslims are taking buddhism_cover_0701over Buddhist owned land and having more children than Buddhists. Wirathu is afraid that the land of Burma is getting into the hands of Muslims so he feels the need to eradicate them. He kind of sounds like a neo-Hitler trying to get rid of any potential competition.

To me it seems like Wirathu is just using the name of Buddhism to unite people to go against Muslims. It is more of an economic and racial problem than a religious one. It is true that there is an increasing number of Muslims coming into Burma from neighboring Bangladesh. Wirathu is probably feeling anxious about the influx of Muslims into Burma and is resolving the problem by making it a religious problem. Like I had mentioned earlier, Buddhism is practiced by the majority of the people; what more better way than using religion as a mechanism of unification against the outsider? It may have been a smart move by him but it has created chaos and something does need to occur to stop this cleansing and using the name of religion to kill other human beings.

Coming up with a potential solution was pretty hard for this topic. This is how I came up with my solution. Burma is a very young democratic country and is still taking baby steps towards development. All sectors of the state are still weak and lack power to stop such conflicts within its country. That is why there are still vast amounts of religious and ethnic conflicts in this region. If its own state cannot fully protect its Continue reading

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Jun 26

My Fight for the Preservation of the Cookie Jar

My mom and I have had an ongoing debate for oh… approximately twenty years or so. About what exactly, you might be asking yourself? Nutrition. Childhood nutrition, to be exact. Our debate mainly rests on the question – when it comes to childhood nutrition, is restriction really the best way to go?

Let me set the scene for you… I loved going over my friends’ houses when I was younger. Their houses would have cabinets full of cookies, and chips, and all sorts of salty and sweet treats. All of my favorite things in one place – what more could I ask for? Their houses stood in stark contrast to my own house, which had (and still does have) a single snack drawer, which contains a bunch of Chewy granola bars, some microwaveable popcorn (light butter, of course), and a couple boxes of raisins. Not exactly your typical snack drawer – at least not from the perspective of an eight-year-old child.

cookies This profound lack of snack food in my house derived largely from my mom’s love for all things nutritional. Our cookie jar? Empty. Our fridge? Filled with fruits, vegetables, and a whole assortment of whole grains. It came down to the fact that my mom’s key rule when growing up is that my siblings and I weren’t allowed to buy anything in the grocery store over three grams of fat. I have many childhood memories, which consist of walking up and down the aisles of the grocery store, with my dad, brother, and sister, taking the time to pick up each and every single item – whether it was cereal, a box of crackers, or a bag of pretzels – in order to check out the nutritional facts. If it was four grams, there might be some hope for negotiation. Anything more had to be put back, no questions asked.

To be fair, my mom would allow the occasional treat here and there. We would be allowed a trip to the ice cream shop while on vacation, or cake at a family party. However, the majority of the time, nutritional facts ruled our lives –as we lived on the edge of a three gram barrier. Therefore, when I was young, I quickly became adept at sneaking food in order to satisfy my cravings. I would take some cookies here, some Halloween candy there. My worst offense of all was when I hid a half-gallon of Hershey’s Moose Tracks ice cream in my closet around age ten. Turns out ice cream melts. Lesson learned.

As we got older, my mom eventually became less restrictive about our diets, however my sweet tooth has continued to live on. So I did some research to find out why.

Turns out that our human predispositions for certain foods often begin from a very early age. Humans are genetically predisposed to innately prefer sweet and salty flavors, and dislike foods that are bitter or sour tasting. However, innate eating preferences only begin to explain a part of the picture. Environmental factors (such as parental involvement) have long played an important role in the development of childhood eating behaviors. Such nutritional attitudes and habits, which are acquired throughout childhood often persist far into adolescence and even adulthood.

The two main practices utilized by my mom, like so many others parents across the country when it comes to regulating childhood eating behaviors, were restriction and pressure. Restriction often takes the form of Continue reading

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Jun 24

Looking Back on China (4): First Lady Effect

Peng Liyuan now has an even more brilliant role to play than she did as a national-renowned folk singer – the most popular First Lady ever in the history of China.

Peng became a household name in China well before her husband. She gained popularity as a soprano singer from her regular appearances on the annual CCTV New Year’s Gala. Currently, she is the Dean of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Art Academy, holding the rank of PLA major general. Since her husband Xi Jinping’s ascent Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan wave from their plane upon their arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaamto the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2007, Peng largely lowered her profile, in step with the traditional secondary role played by the wives of Chinese leaders.

For decades, the wives of China’s top leaders have traditionally gone almost unseen at home and attracted little attention while accompanying their husbands on state visits.

That was in part a negative reaction to Mao Zedong’s fourth wife, Jiang Qing, who was widely despised and later imprisoned for her role as leader of the radical Gang of Four, which opened the Pandora box of the chaotic Cultural Revolution. Since then, the wives of Chinese Presidents all consistently chose to stay behind the limelight. Liu Yongqing, who was married to the former President Hu Jintao, seldom appears in public. Liu’s predecessor, Wang Yeping, who was the wife of the former President Jiang Zemin, had severe cervical spondylitis. Every time Wang was visiting abroad with Jiang, she always looked feeble and needed her husband’s support to get off the airplane.

This time, China’s First Lady presented a totally different image. In her first overseas trip as China’s First Lady, Peng stepped out of the airplane radiantly with an elegant smile. Shortly, her Chinese-style silk tunic and skirt completely sparked sweeping frenzy at home. On Weibo, Chinese microblogging service akin to Twitter, people were ecstatically acclaiming “We finally got a First Lady that we can be proud of!” Of course, clever businessmen would not lose this chance to make a fortune. Peng’s attire went viral on the Internet as copies of the simple black coat she wore on the trip began to appear on the Web selling for $80.

In the long term, Peng should maximize her First Lady Effect in both of two aspects:

Domestically, this glamorous First Lady should strive to add points to her husband. Peng’s amiable image would considerably humanize the lofty communist leader. As a new president, Xi needs more support from the public to consolidate his power in the Communist Party of China (CPC). As CPC always flaunts itself as a party serving for the people, now it finally found the best ambassador to get closer to common people. More importantly, her advent can be a sign of the move of political openness and transparency. Since the attire Peng dressed in were all from domestic brands, she could, to some extent, spur the development of the apparel industry and enhance national pride.

Internationally, Peng should be part of China’s soft power. For the very first time, China’s First Lady showed herself confidently and appealingly in front of the whole world. In 2011, the World Health Organization selected her as a goodwill ambassador for AIDS and tuberculosis, a position that lasts for two years. Undoubtedly Peng’s performance experiences, advocate activities, and international influence would make her a new national name card for China.

However, no matter how crazily people admire their First Lady, she is not everything. If CPC really wants to make the leaders more human and less robot, what they fundamentally need is not a superstar First Lady, but the eradication of bureaucracy.

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Jun 24

“Failed” States?

Foreign Policy’s  annual Failed State Issue came out today, along with their 2013 Failed State Index, uses twelve social, economic, and political indicators to analyze nations and then ranks them accordingly, with 120 being the worst possible score a state can receive.  The states are then separated into five categories: critical, in danger, borderline, stable, and most stable.  Not surprisingly, Somalia tops the critical list with a score of 113.9, followed FailedStatesclosely by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (111.9), Sudan (111.0), and South Sudan (110.6).  Also not surprisingly, all but five of the twenty critical states are located in Africa, and four of those five are Middle Eastern countries.  For those who are interested, an interactive map of the countries, as well as a breakdown of their scores and the rankings from 2010-2012 can be found here, on the Foreign Policy website.  I am not interested in the rankings, however.  I am more interested in the reasoning behind the decision to publish a Failed States issue and the implications of the word “failed.”

Foreign Policy certainly provides a good reason to collect and publish data on how well various states meet their twelve indicators: we live in a highly globalized world, and therefore pressures on one fragile state can have effects not just locally, but globally.  Protests in Libya back in 2010, for example, had local consequences and caused a domino effect on the rest of the region.  The Western world has also gotten involved, both militarily and diplomatically, as have some Eastern countries like China.  The global economy has been affected as well, as oil prices, among other things, have risen as a result of the turmoil.

FP suggests that since events in one state can have profound consequences for the rest of the world, it is FailedStates2important to monitor indicators of pressures that could push states to the brink of failure.  The Failed State Index acts as an early warning of conflict to policymakers and the public, potentially allowing the international community to intervene and mitigate the negative effects of state failure.

The fact that states are labelled as “failed” states, however, is somewhat problematic, even if the reasoning behind the Index is sound.  Can a state ever recover from “failure?” Should we give up on any state that has “failed?”   Continue reading

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Jun 20

Looking Back on China (3): A Fancy Chinese Dream

After Jiang Zemin’s “Three Representatives” and Hu Jintao’s “Harmonious Society,”  now Chinese overburdened high school students have one more theory to learn by rote. “Chinese Dream,” repeatedly emphasized by China’s new president Xi Jinping, is seemingly more catchy and captivating.

In the arcane world of Chinese politics, slogans matter. They are the words that are meant to convey a leader’s vision for the country. In March, in his keynote speech to the National People’s Congress soon after his formal appointment as president, Xi said: “We must make persistent efforts, press ahead with indomitable will, continue to push forward the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strive to achieve the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

What, exactly, is this dream?

According to Xi, it is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Nevertheless, no country would like itself to be poor. If being stronger can be a national dream, every country has this dream. Then what is the unique value of the Chinese Dream? If it is nothing more than an empty slogan, I am afraid Xi would fail to ignite individuals’ morale of Xi Jinpingfighting for this dream.

According to the state-run news agency Xinhua, the Chinese Dream means that all workers should “combine their personal dreams with the national dream and fulfill their obligations to the country.” Today the millions who belong to the urban middle class hope for more than just basic economic goods. They dream of living in a better environment, having a political say and cultivating their spirituality. If Xi’s Chinese Dream is a deliberately vague notion, designed to mean anything anyone wants, the limits of its ambiguity must nonetheless be determined from the top down in the future.

It is undoubtedly a smart political move of Xi. Since he recently took the power, what he urgently needs is the stability of the society during the takeover of the power. This one-size-fits-all dream can perfectly balance the conflicts between the interests of all walks of life and can also attract supports from maximum number of people.

Furthermore, where, on earth, is this dream from?

Every time a new slogan was created, the government encouraged the whole society, especially students and officials, to study its theory and spirit. This time, the Communist Party of China (CPC) seems not that creative. When I heard the concept of “Chinese Dream,” the first whim that burst into my mind was that “after infringing on the intellectual property rights of American hi-tech products, China moves its focus and copies American Dream.”

As a rising superpower, China intends to enhance its global influence as against America. Beijing has not been satisfied with the status merely as the factory of the world, but strains to export its ideology and to impose more political impacts in the international stage. Can the Chinese Dream help the government reach this goal?

chinese-dream1I doubt it. Although China has accomplished astonishing economic miracles, it still has not formed apparently distinct values that can influence other countries. Comparatively, America firmly occupies the commanding heights of the international relations ideologically. America is still the best representative of the universal values such as democracy and freedom, the international version of American Dream.  America made arduous efforts to make those values as universal values, greatly improving the moral level of international relations and the political leaders throughout the world. It is the tremendous contribution that America has made to the world, as well as the source of its global influence as a superpower.

Even though China does not give credits to those American values, it still has not put forward any original value system that can compete with them. Nor can the Chinese Dream. It simply focuses on the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, so that it cannot possibly spread out as a universal value. Additionally, it is not a specific economic mode or social lifestyle, but just a fuzzy slogan which is unable to be applied by other countries practically.

A mere slogan is nonsense. How to enforce and achieve it is the key point.

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Jun 18

Are ASEAN’s Goals Achievable?

When I think of current events in Southeast Asia, the things that pop into my head are authoritarian regimes, ethnic tensions, border clashes, and so on. There is an entire list of current conflicts going on in this region. An example of a border dispute would be Thailand conflicting with neighboring Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia, where numerous insurgent groups are constantly fighting one another.

To avoid and eradicate such conflicts and promote development the ASEAN was established in 1967. ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and is a transnational political and economic organization gen5newwith ten countries located in Southeast Asia. The aim of ASEAN is known as the “ASEAN way,” which in essence respects the sovereignty of each member and to integrate as a community. This means respecting members history, political system, religion, national identity, ethnicities and cultures. This allows another goal of ASEAN to occur which is fostering economic growth and social development amongst these members through regional cooperation. However, if you compare the core values and principles of ASEAN and what is actually happening in the world today, there is no doubt that there are problems with ASEAN. These problems have to do with respecting the sovereignty of each country.

Why are there so many regional conflicts going on in this region? I think that one of the reason has to do with colonialism. In a broad perspective, colonialism has most likely exploited many countries and left the countries with nothing after gaining independence. These independent countries had to rebuild its state from scratch.  Also most of these countries gained independence in the middle of the 19th century, meaning that most of Southeast Asian countries are fairly new. Since they are fairly new the state is still in the process of state-building in which I believe is the cause of most conflicts. If you take a look at the recent and previous conflicts, most of them derive from opposition groups against the central governments pursuing to gain political, ethnic, religious or social independence or inclusion. The weakness of the government and differences in the state have created these conflicts. These conflicts then spill over to other nation states, which creates insecurities in the ASEAN community.

Now going back to the ASEAN core values and principles, there is something lacking to address the problem of respecting the sovereignty of each member. I think the characteristics that are lacking are intercultural south_east_asiacommunication and recognition of different subgroups. Intercultural dialogue is important in any organizations that consists individuals with different backgrounds. It allows each individual to fully understand and respect the different attributes of each member and creates a comfortable platform for the members to address issues that arises. I think in the case with the ASEAN members, there is a lack of intercultural communication because most members have a hard time recognizing different subgroups within and out their countries. It is very hard for these countries to recognize one another because before ASEAN was established, there were little to no interaction between the members. Traditions and values varied across regions and have been hard-wired in each individual. Although it will take a tremendous amount of time until the members of ASEAN to fully recognize and include every group, until then I think it will be hard to achieve the goals of ASEAN.

However, I am not suggesting that ASEAN has not achieved any goals since its establishments. ASEAN has created free trade areas where it encourages trade amongst its members and has integrated the region with the rest of the world through the East Asia Summits and ASEAN Summits. Southeast Asia is also an emerging economy as many members have been experiencing positive growth rates. What I am suggesting is that, when reflecting upon the current issues in Southeast Asia today, it is apparent that conflicts are still continuing in these regions. So I think the key issues are the lack of recognition of groups within the members and intercultural communication amongst the members. I believe that if we address these issues, ASEAN will be able to achieve its goal quicker.

What do you suggest these countries can do to achieve ASEAN’s goal?

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Jun 17

Looking Back on China (2): Socialism or Capitalism?

“No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat.”

 It was probably the most influential quote of Deng Xiaoping, the Chief Architect of Chinese Reform and Opening, who further interpreted that “Do not restrict yourself from the difference between Socialism and Capitalism. Developing productive forces is our first priority.” Since then, China has been continuously engaging in one of the most magnificent economic reforms throughout the world for more than 30 years. At the same time, however, the line between Socialism and Capitalism is increasingly blurred in the largest socialist country in the world.

 In the official discourse system of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the ideology of Socialism with “Chinese Characteristics” plays a sovereign role. The core of this ideology is to build up a socialist market-oriented economy FeaturedImageand the most fundamental requirement is that it should be dominated by the public sector in the industries so significant as to influence the national economy. Since China is and will long be in the primary stage of socialism, the Chinese government is supposed to employ any beneficial resources or means to develop the country into an industrialized nation.

 Every Chinese high school student and college student is capable of explaining the aforementioned abstract political theories to you in detail, because they have thoroughly memorized mandatory knowledge of this topic in Politics classes. In China, CPC is omnipresent  in everyone’s daily life. In elementary school, pupils perceive the qualification to be a Young Pioneer as a supreme honor in their school life. In the government, crucial positions are only open to CPC members, while some of the insignificant positions are intentionally kept for non-Party members for fear of the criticism of one-party dictatorship. Even in the enterprises, entrepreneurs are proud of the large number of CPC members in the union, because working closely with the government will avoid unnecessary troubles in business. More importantly, the authoritarian framework of government, the mode of operation of politics, and the predominant national ideology all undisputedly demonstrate that China is absolutely a socialist country, at least in light of politics.

 Nevertheless, it is a totally different story in economy. No matter how unwilling they will be, CPC leaders have to admit that China’s economy is fundamentally capitalist.

China has become the factory of the world. But this is not without expense. Sweatshops are exploiting the laborers as severely as Karl Marx warned against Capitalism more than a hundred years ago. In 2010, consecutive Continue reading

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Jun 14

Extreme Poverty in Lao PDR

Lao PDR has one of the highest growth rates in Southeast Asia with 6% increase every year in the last decade. Even the level of poverty has been declining. However, the country is still one of the least developed in Southeast Asia and the level of poverty is still largely apparent in this economy. Laos had struggled to grasp an ideal laoseconomic and political situation since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The poverty rate illustrates this struggle. The percentage of people living under just $2 a day was 66% in 2008.

To combat poverty in Laos, a project called the Poverty Reduction Project was initiated to help develop communities in the rural areas. This project was funded by the International Development Association. The goal of this project was to improve access to basic economic and social services in rural areas; more specifically access to clean water, health care, primary education, and roads. With the help of the project staff and local volunteers, the project had upgraded more than 2,000 kilometers of roads, 460 schools have been built, and 900 villages have access to clean water now. However, this project was stopped in 2011, meaning there needs to be another project running to address the country’s problems. Extreme poverty is common in mountainous areas where ethnic minority groups reside. Lowland areas tend to have lower poverty levels. If you do not live in the capital, it is common for people to live without basic facilities such as electricity. Strategies such as the Poverty Reduction Project need to operate in the long-run to have long term effects. This holds true with any policies or strategies implemented to better a community. Changes must be made for the future of Laos.

This is my suggestion to address the current problem in Laos. I think that focusing on the creation of transportation; more specifically, road transportation will help alleviate poverty. Using the Poverty Reduction Fund as an example, this plan will need to be cost-effective and will need funding from multiple organizations as the cost will be Continue reading

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Jun 12

Education Equality? The Color of School Closings

No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher’s dirty looks.

A favorite song of mine, which I would often sing to myself every time June rolled around. The tune would play over and over in my head, as I would count down to the last day of school in a rush of projects, parties, and end-of-the-year assemblies. Summer was finally here to stay.

No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher’s dirty looks.

education-empty-classroomHowever, for many public school students from Philadelphia, saying goodbye come the end of this school year isn’t simply a temporary matter. Starting next fall, many Philadelphia public school students – regardless of whether they’re in elementary school, middle school, or even high school – just might not have any more pencils. Books. Or even the teachers they have come to know and love.

Philadelphia city officials, like so many others around the country who are dealing with budget deficits and failing schools, are one step closer to shutting down 23 public schools (approximately 10% of the city’s schools) in the city district. Failing and/ or underused schools will be shut down, districts will be re-aligned, and students will be placed in new schools come the start of the 2013-2014 school year. As many as 14,000 students are expected to be affected by the school closures.

There have been protests. Debates at city board meetings. Desperate pleas from students, parents, community leaders, and educators alike, all with the same message. Save our schools, save our children.

No more pencils. No more books. No more teacher’s dirty looks.

The school closures are expected to cause approximately 3,000 layoffs of administrators, secretaries, counselors, and other support staff throughout the city. Art and music programs are to be eliminated. Athletic clubs and teams will be cut. In order to begin and chip away at the $304 million budget deficit looming over the city, anything considered unnecessary or inessential will be eliminated from the school environment, and unfortunately the students are going to be the ones who are going to suffer.

Which students exactly are going to be affected? As expected, racial and socioeconomic disparities dominate the changes, as minority and low-income students are disproportionally affected by the school closings.

The Color of School Closings in Philadelphia:

  • Black Students: Approximately 81% are impacted by the school closings throughout the city despite accounting for only 58% of the total student population in the district.
  • White Students: 14% of the overall student population, however only 4% are impacted by the closings.
  • Low-Income Students: 93% are affected by the school closings, even though they make up for just 81% of Philadelphia public school students.

It’s not just in Philadelphia either. Recent school closings in cities like New York City, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and other urban areas throughout the country have also raised eyebrows due to the racial and socioeconomic nature of the closings. All too often, it’s the low income neighborhoods of color, which are affected by such changes. Take recent school closings in Chicago and Washington D.C., for example. A report by the Chicago Sun-Times found that 90% of students projected to be affected by the city-wide school closings (approximately 54 of the city’s public schools are expected to close by the start of the next school year) in Chicago are black – despite making up just 41% of the district’s overall student population. Washington D.C. is projected to only close 15 of its public schools in the coming year, however the racial disparities are even greater there. Out of the 2,700 students projected to be displaced by the closings in DC, only two of them are white.

Budget cuts are to be expected. It’s part of the world we live in these days. However, education should be our utmost priority at all times – recession or not. All students should be provided with the opportunity to learn in an environment, which forces them to learn, to grow, and to expand their horizons. All students deserve the right to an education based on stable schools, loyal teachers, and the resources they need to succeed – young or old, black or white, rich or poor.

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