President Barack Obama spoke April 6 at the 20th annual National Action Network (NAN) conference. The Harlem-based organization was founded by Rev. Al Sharpton. The two-day conference was also addressed earlier in the day by several cabinet members from the Obama administration.
Addressing the packed audience, Obama confirmed that education was the civil rights issue of our time, stating it wasn’t enough to “just leave no child left behind. We’ve got to help every child get ahead.”
“Instead of labeling our schools a failure one day and then throwing up our hands and walking away, we’ve got to refocus on the schools that need help the most,” Obama said.
At an earlier event, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that he will work with NAN to help alleviate teen violence and that “… addressing youth violence was a priority for this administration — and for today’s Justice Department.” Holder cited his childhood in Queens, N.Y., as personal testimony to the effects of teen violence.
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said he is teaming up with NAN to help urban homeowners facing foreclosure. Education Seceretary Arne Duncan discussed information his office has gathered while traveling the country with Rev. Sharpton to black neighborhoods with the highest dropout rates.
