Sister Souljah, Jeb Bush & Hillary Clinton

Accountability

May 11, 2015

For the last 20 plus years, political junkies have been waiting for the next big Sister Souljah moment in Presidential politics. Well, in the 2016 campaign, higher education presents the perfect stage.

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If you’re under age 25 or not a political junkie, you might not know that a “Sister Souljah moment” refers to a high-profile event where a politician refutes an extreme element or position associated with some in his or her political party. It’s a calculated attempt to show voters that the politician is courageous and not beholden to traditional interest groups in his or her party. Throw in race as a background, and you’ve got electric politics – for good and bad. The above clip is still uncomfortable to watch to this day.

Jeb Bush had a ready made setting for a Sister Souljah moment this weekend when he gave the commencement address at Liberty University, founded by Rev. Jerry Falwell. Liberty University is a darling of the Christian right, a group Jeb Bush never truly will win over during the 2016 primary season. Bush could’ve used the setting to chastise non-profit institutions –including those affiliated with the political right – that are failing to serve the most needy and disadvantaged among us.

Institutions like Liberty University. Liberty should be ashamed of its record with low-income and racial minority students. In fact, Liberty University is one of the worst four-year colleges in Virginia if not the nation for poor and minority students.

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No doubt other Republican Presidential hopefuls will appear at Liberty University in the coming months. Maybe one of them will call out institutions of higher education that can and should do a better job at evidencing a meaningful commitment to diversity and economic opportunity.

Related: Rand Paul’s College Affordability Problem

Or maybe, just maybe another Clinton will take advantage of the opportunity at a different college or university first.

Stay tuned. . .

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