Oprah Winfrey on January 2nd opens a multimillion-dollar school she has funded for poor South African girls in Johanesburg. Winfrey's school was the culmination of a pledge she made to South Africa's anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela six years ago.
This is all good and well and I understand the positive impact that Oprah has on many different things, but I still have reservations towards her. She is a Chicago native and has a house in the suburbs, but she opens a school in Africa. There are so many children right here in the United States, in Chicago that need better schooling. CPS (Chicago Public Schools) is pathetic and could use some help. I just wish she would spend some money here, for the kids that are in need of a decent education. I don't want to sound cold, but seriously...spend some of your money on our (Chicago's) kids 1st!
7 comments:
too bad the American Public Education System does not allow such niceness from people. For Oprah to do in Chicago what she did in Africa would take a nightmare of paperwork, accredidation boards, political steamrolling and at least a years worth of planning with school boards.
I agree it needs to be done but we dont make it easy!
Not to say that I don't 100% back you on the quality of education our kids in America are receiving today...
I love the fact that Oprah opened it in Africa. Even if our education is "sub par" per our standards...it's Harvard in Africa. These girls wouldn't stand a chance unless people like Oprah went down there and just made it happen.
I think the American education system needs a lot of work, but I have to admit that I have a problem with the whole "our kids" mentality. Aren't all the children of the world our responsibility?
Paperwork is inevitable and totally worth it when it is for children's education! Just because something is "too much work" doesn't mean that it isn't worth doing!
That's true Memo...its like a Harvard in Africa, but there are alot of girls in the US that don't stand a chance!
I agree that it would have been nice to do something for our kids here. I'm sure she has a staff of people who can do paperwork for her and deal with the problems that opening up opportunities can cause.
I really don't think that all of the children of the world should be our first responsibility. I know, I know...It's sad that someone could possibly think this way in our day and age, but we have enough kids here with enough problems that we should fix ourselves before we try to fix others.
I do hate that people are criticizing Oprah for having only black girls at her school. Ummm, hello! She built a school in South Africa (last time I checked MOST Africans are black), and the white kids there (for the MOST part) have money to go to school.
Jeanette and I are on the same page...How can we possibly offer help to others when we can't even help ourselves! I am, what most of you would call, a Pig-Headed American, but I take pride in "my" country above all others and want to see "my" country prosper and succeed before all others! Sorry that I can be such a Nationalist folks!
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