Kelley Williams-Bolar Case A Disturbing One That Color Of Change Is Following

Here is a letter from ColorofChange:

Kelley Williams-Bolar wanted to give her children a better life by sending them to school in the nearby majority-White school district where her father lives — and she went to jail for it. Now, as a convicted felon, helping her children will be even harder — she had been studying to become a teacher, but that dream may have ended as well.

Real justice requires that the punishment fit the crime; by any measure, this is cruelly unjust.

Please join us calling on Governor Kasich to take a public stand and do everything he can to right this injustice (including making sure that Williams-Bolar has the opportunity to become a teacher in Ohio). And please ask your friends and family to add their voices as well — it takes just a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/ohioschools

Kelley Williams-Bolar is a single mother of two daughters, and she is a teacher’s aide in Akron city schools who has been studying to become a teacher. According to Williams-Bolar, after their home in a housing project was burglarized, she decided to protect her daughters’ safety by sending them to school in neighboring Copley Township, where her father lives.¹

Williams-Bolar claims that she maintained a part-time residence at her father’s home, but the school district didn’t see it that way. Neither did County Prosecutor Sherri Walsh, who charged Williams-Bolar with grand theft and falsifying records — a third-degree felony. The judge presiding over the case recognized the harshness of the felony charge and encouraged Prosecutor Walsh to offer a plea bargain for a lighter charge — but Walsh flatly refused.²

Williams-Bolar was convicted on the felony charge, and sentenced to 5 years in prison. The judge suspended all but 10 days of the jail time, instead ordering 2 years of probation and 80 hours of community service. She’s out of jail now, but the repercussions could last a lifetime: unless the felony is eliminated from her record, Williams-Bolar may be unable to earn her teaching certificate under Ohio law. Williams-Bolar is only a few classes away from earning her teaching certificate.³

Any parent could understand why Kelley Williams-Bolar did what she did to try to give her children access to opportunity. It’s tragic that families around America must make choices like this every day in order to ensure their kids are safe and well-educated. And it’s tragic that this family’s opportunity to succeed stands to be limited because a single mom chose to put her kids first.

With just a moment of your time, you can make clear to Governor John Kasich that you expect him to lead in ensuring real justice that’s proportional to the facts of the case. By speaking out, you’re not just standing with Williams-Bolar — you’re standing with every parent who doesn’t have access to great schools, and who must make difficult choices.

Please join our call for justice for Kelley Williams-Bolar. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
January 28th, 2011

References:

1. "Ohio Mom Kelley Williams-Bolar Jailed for Sending Kids to Better School District," ABC News, 1-26-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/703?akid=1876.868165.A8JX3O&t=7

2. "Kelley Williams-Bolar leaves jail but public outcry escalates," The Beacon Journal, 1-26-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/704?akid=1876.868165.A8JX3O&t=9

3. See Reference 1

Rush Limbaugh Is Back At It Again Playing Racial Politics

Rush Limbaugh is back at it playing racial politics to scare conservative white people (who follow it like dummies)about Barack Obama, this black president of the United States.

Here is what Limbaugh, the leader of the GOP and the conservative wing of the political spectrum had to say:

“[I]n Obama’s America, the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering”

What a disgraceful man this Rush Limbaugh is, and it just shows how nutty and blind these far-right crazies who hang onto his every word have become over the years.

Conservatives are afraid of him and fall like dominoes for his brand of divisive racial politics. People like Limbaugh have hijacked the Republican party.

Fear keeps indoctrinated conservatives in line.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200909150017

Right Wing Methods For Minimizing Racism … Attack Jesse Jackson And Al Sharpton

When old and conservative white guys feel uncomfortable with any claim of racism, the response is familiar: attack the Rev. Jesse Jackson and attack the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Attacking Rev. Incorporated is the way that many conservatives combat any charges of racism (whether the charges are legitimate or not)

Consider this piece written by Andrew Breitbart in the Washington Times and regurgitated on his Web site Big Hollywood:

The most unsettling news story of the last week came out of Philadelphia, where a group of black and Hispanic children of elementary-school age paid for the right to swim at a private suburban club and were denied the experience without cause and publicly humiliated in the process.

While the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton cry racism too often and make a mockery of their cause by exploiting events for their personal gain, sometimes old-fashioned bigotry does rear its ugly head in America.

In this instance, the Valley Club’s president confirmed our worst fears when he offered something far from an exculpatory explanation. “There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club,” John Duesler said in his initial statement.

Some campers claim to have overheard at least one parent fretting about the sudden influx of 65 minority children at the mostly white club.

True or not, these children were clearly wronged and it’s hard to believe that race didn’t play a significant part in their being tossed from the suburban club on their very first field trip.

Bigotry is not a partisan issue, and to be sickened by this story is the proper human response. America’s original sin of slavery and the stain of Jim Crow make a bad situation almost viscerally unbearable – and warrant a conclusive remedy. This, unfortunately, is our country’s long-term burden.

Many members of the private swim club, removed from its director’s idiotic move, now find themselves in the unenviable position of working round-the-clock to defend themselves and their previously unblemished club. Even neighbors of the institution have taken to the media to distance themselves from the awful act.

“I think they’re knuckleheads up there,” said John Fenton, a local. “I don’t know how you can do that to little kids.”

Whenever legitimate acts of bigotry occur, they should be exposed to the light of day. The media and the legal system – fueled by public outrage – can do the rest. In this case, substantial national and even international news coverage of the Valley Club incident is beginning the process of making the campers whole.

Again, this is the method for minimizing any claims of racism (citing Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton’s involvement and insisting that they are exploiting race for personal gain).

Clearly, Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton covet the spotlight, but that should not take away from the stinging impact of racism (in spite of what some conservatives want).