Politically Motivated Hedge Fund Financed Attack Ad Ignites Widespread Disapproval
(Long Island, NY) Several outraged groups came together today to protest hedge fund backed Families for Excellent Schools’ (FES) most recent television ad. The ad has been scrutinized for its racially charged tactics in their latest politically motivated attack on Mayor Bill de Blasio and public schools. Public school parents, Dr. Hazel Dukes of NYS NAACP, Bertha Lewis of The Black Institute, and Bill Lipton of the Working Families Party were joined by the Alliance for Quality Education, New York City Coalition for Educational Justice, Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, the Strong Economy for All Coalition, clergy and elected officials at the rally.
Several of these groups have already spoken out against the ad, most deeming “racist” and “race-baiting”, and have called on FES to take it down. Nonetheless, FES, whose billionaire funders spent over half a million dollars on the ad refuse to take it down.
The divisive ad titled “A Tale of Two Boys” features a narrative of young white boy and a young black boy. The assumption is immediately made that the Black student is poor, does not go to a good school, and will never make it to college. The ad’s release is timed to be days before a rally on Wednesday to be led by potential mayoral candidate Eva Moskowitz, who has ordered the closure of her schools for the day.
The hypocrisy of the ad is underscored by the fact that Families for Excellent Schools has actively opposed educational equity by working against fair funding for schools that serve high need public schools and students. In addition, the financial backers of FES and their key allies were strong supporters of policies that systematically neglected New York City’s neediest schools during the Bloomberg administration.
“In their recent ad FES is labels our public schools as ‘failing’. Yet it is clear that Families for Excellent Schools and their hedge fund financiers have no interest in improving these schools or giving every student an equal opportunity,” said Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director of Alliance for Quality Education. “What they really want to do is attack Mayor de Blasio for politically motivated reasons and they are willing to use racist ads to do just that. We demand that FES take down its racist ad that reinforces negative stereotypes of Black males.
“It’s quite disappointing to see race so blatantly inserted into the public discourse by FES. With the education of each New York City child who attends public schools at stake, to waste so much money on a detestable ad is deplorable and dumbfounded. This ad should’ve never seen the light of day, and it certainly belongs on the cutting room floor,”Assemblyman Nick Perry said.
“This ad resorts to race-baiting and plays on dangerous and destructive racial stereotypes. It is tragic that such an ad could be created and it should be pulled immediately,” said Pastor Walrond of First Corinthian Baptist Church
“The Families for Excellent Schools ad is totally racist and has no place in our education debate.” said Bertha Lewis, President of The Black Institute. “Its racially predatory tactics are morally wrong and twisted. Fortunately, parents in communities of color are smarter than Kittredge and Moskowitz think. FES pull down this racist ad!”
“This commercial is out right disrespectful and parents aren’t buying it. Parents at my school know the truth: charter schools are in the business of sucking resources from under-resourced schools like mine. This is a political attack and FES is purposefully ignoring the systemic neglect our school experienced for years,” said Gloria Khan, Community School Parent.
“I am accustomed to charter school supporters misrepresenting the fine work being done by employees throughout the New York City public school system, but the racial stereotypes used in the latest Families for Excellent Schools commercials are outrageous and mark a new low in the public school, charter school debate,” said Council of School Supervisors and Administrator’s President Ernest Logan. “One has to ask if this is really how they see the children they teach.”
FES’ stereotypical depictions of Black students as seen in this ad are dangerous and irresponsible at best. This is especially upsetting because for 12 years FES sat on the sidelines and cheered Bloomberg on as he gutted schools in communities in need. CEJ has worked hard with these communities to find solutions that work best, like community schools, and we will not stand for this type of politicized racist rhetoric,” said Natasha Capers Coordinator of the Coalition for Educational Justice.
In a recent statement released, Assemblymember Bichotte said this; “They continually use [tactics] to pit parents of color against each other to disparage the Mayor and our public district schools…they say that parents are being denied choices, which is another cliché used to justify the privatization of schools. Privatization benefits millionaires and siphons off public resources — our taxpayer dollars. Choice seems to only be defined by those who would choose charter schools, but there are parents who are choosing their public district schools, and we need to preserve that option by providing adequate funding and additional resources not taking them away.”
