Secretary DeVos: Thank You | The Odyssey Online
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Politics and Activism

Secretary DeVos: Thank You

Maybe you won't do as bad of a job as we thought.

Cherie Lynn Morse
Feb 23, 2017
Morningside College
27
Secretary DeVos: Thank You
Pexels

I never thought I would say this, but I was actually pleased with Betsy DeVos today. She tried to stand up for transgender students against President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sadly, they prevailed.

President Trump rescinded the protects for transgender students to use the restroom of the gender of which they identified with that was put into place by the Obama administration. DeVos resisted originally to rescinding the protections, fearing the potential harm that it could cause the LGBTQ+ community; but Sessions fought back. When President Trump stepped in to say he sided with Sessions, DeVos had two options. Defy President Trump, or go along with the two of them. Sadly, she backed down.

I have not ever had a positive thought about placing DeVos in the position of Secretary of Education. She is as under qualified for that position as Trump is to be president. But today, today she gave me a bit of hope. Hope that she would stand up for those who were being forgotten and persecuted. Though she backed down, I think that she may eventually be able to stand her ground.

Secretary DeVos, I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you for trying. I know how intimidating it must have been, and I can see why you backed down. But I offer you this piece of advice: fight. Fight back, and fight hard. If you fight for civil rights, and start to listen to the people who are trying to help you understand our school system and how awful they can be, I promise you they may start to support you. But it's going to take a lot of effort on your part.

Take some time now to enter into public schools across the nation. Big city wide public schools, and small town rural public schools. See what it's like for them to run. Connect with the community you are now overseeing. Betsy, if I may call you that, if you keep doing what you tried to do Wednesday, you could do great things. Putting those students ahead of just an easy "okay" was the start of you being a great Secretary of Education. You brought me a little bit of faith in what you tried to do. Maybe, just maybe, we were wrong. Maybe, just maybe, you will try and truly understand the system that has been placed in your hands. And maybe, just maybe, you will be able to stand up to the men trying to tell you to sit down and shut up one day.

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