Surely there is more important news to analyze than Andrea Georgsson’s “Sounding Board” column, further assassinating the already thoroughly besmirched character of Rev. Harold Wilcox, the erstwhile founder and superintendent of Prepared Table Charter School, in Houston’s only daily’s August 25, 2002 edition. Nevertheless, for some reason, her unfounded opinions peeved me.

Georgsson, who joined the Houston Chronicle’s Editorial Board in 1995 has distinguished herself with such articles as: “Education: what Blacks owe themselves,” that began innocently reporting Houstonians’ trip to Washington, D.C. to stand on the National Mall and demand reparations. Strangely, it failed to note that The National Black United Front’s Kofi Tarharka, and other hard working groups worked hard to raise extra funds so that youths from the ‘hood could take part in the historical event. Educational treks like that inspires our kids to pursue an education.
Certainly, I realize the focus of the article was to justify closing Prepared Table and further criminalize Rev. Wilcox. Thus, I should explain that (from a Black perspective), the most amazing thing about the Prepared Table fiasco, is that Wilcox was able to obtain whatever he needed to open a charter school in Texas and spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars. We agree with Georgsson, who wrote: “A Black American that puts education first would not tolerate a Rev. Harold Wilcox and his pathetic Prepared Table Charter School in Houston.” She also pondered how a man with no proof of a college degree could pay himself $250,000 to be its superintendent.
It definitely would be interesting to learn who gave Wilcox a license to steal, under the guise of educating Black children. The man not only had one well funded school, but three campuses that probably would still be doing business as usual if Wilcox hadn’t gotten greedy and allegedly used state funding to upgrade his church. On the other hand, Prepared Table’s failure to properly educate Black kids isn’t the focus of my analysis this week. Instead, I’m more interested in Georgsson’s education. Surely it didn’t include Black History. No, on second thought, the San Antonio, Texas native apparently didn’t take any history at all while attending the University of Texas in Austin.

Perhaps it was a misprint, or something that the Chronicle’s Reader Representative James Campbell will correct, but Georgsson did write: “Meanwhile, Black Americans continue to suffer at least one lingering and devastating harm as the result of slavery.”
Before I go any further, let me qualify that I’m very proud of how quickly freed slaves educated themselves. That’s why I question Georgsson’s ability to research an article, inasmuch as a history literate person would never conclude: “And it’s one that Black people have the power to overcome immediately and on their own.”
I kept reading, to see if Georgsson was going to redeem herself, but she kept writing from the premise that, “Not necessarily as individuals, but as a people, Black Americans approach education far too carelessly and haphazardly. Black Americans’ less than-stellar record of education—as a group coming in consistently at or near the bottom of just about any academic performance measure—surely has its roots in slavery.” Perhaps, Campbel will explain to Georgsson that older Black folks he knew often had degrees in law, pharmacy and even education, but due to discrimination, were forced to work at the Post Office, wait tables and etc., which actually paid more than jobs available to Black college grads.
Even so, as late as the 80s, Blacks were assured a fairly good job if they got a college degree, or even a high school diploma, therefore they were motivated to go to school. Motivation certainly engenders education and that’s why most Black parents worked hard to make sure their children got one.

Even today, you hear athlete’s parents admonishing them to get a degree, even when they’re being offered multi-million dollar contracts to turn pro. Space won’t allow us to prove that most Black people still believe education is the key to success, although it’s becoming more obvious each day that a college degree does not assure gainful employment.
History records that African-Americans managed to get a very good education under impossible conditions before integration and they were able to compete against their Anglo counterparts in the job market very admirably until schools integrated. Furthermore, after integration, African-Americans (still motivated by the American Dream) held their own until public schools surreptitiously changed the way they educated kids.

There is a growing suspicion in Black America, that performance tests are Trojan horses, instituted to eliminate our children. The voucher controversy portends that the powers-that-be have no intentions of allowing us to educate our own in charter schools.
Busting Prepared Table wasn’t just about Wilcox, because it’s a matter of record that the Black community knows his game and rejected him twice when he ran against State Rep. Harold V. Dutton, Jr. Sorry to diss you Ms. Georgsson, but you must learn White history is considered education, while everything we do is Black History. In the future please don’t swallow mainstream media propaganda whole without a little research, because AAN&I is obligated to challenge misinformation.

Incidentally, did anybody compare Prepared Table’s test scores with other charter schools, HISD and/or other school districts? Education is big business and if charter schools become a cash cow, you know who will be milking it.

Truth is, AAN&I discovered long ago that the mainstream media covers Black America from the bottom up, rather than starting with our best and brightest. That’s like interviewing the losers after a game, while ignoring the winners.
Conversely, the real joke is how Wilcox played those smart people controlling charter schools. Or are they playing us?