Racist? What?
Dr. Chavis’s recent Stossel appearance has created some buzz, including misguided allegations of racism from so-called progressive websites, like Media Matters.
I wish people would take a look at the big picture rather than generalizing from a soundbite. Does it make sense that an educator (himself a minority) would devote time and money to educating poor minorities yet in fact be a racist?
Dr. Chavis likes to joke about race and use it as a motivator–in part, perhaps, because it has become such a politically correct, hush-hush topic of conversation. He knows there are racist assumptions out there, just as you do and as I do. So he will say things, like: If you don’t do your homework and are lazy in school, then people will assume you’re just another lazy Mexican. Is that right that people think that? No. But is it reality? Yes. Dr. Chavis knows the way to prove people’s stereotypes wrong is through achievement. He pushes all of his students to excel in school, which is why all AIM schools rank in the top 1% of schools in California. His schools send poor Mexicans, blacks, and other minorities to four-year universities like Cornell and UC Berkeley. How many other people run schools that provide the poor and underserved with so many extraordinary opportunities?
Read Crazy Like a Fox to find out Dr. Chavis’s views on race and racism. Get the full context. Then comment and judge. But not before.