Nikole Hannah–Jones, architect of the “1619 Project,” sparred with conservatives on Twitter while attempting to expose hypocrisy in the debate over school choice, the Post Millennial reported.
But instead, she simply reiterated the very argument made by school-choice proponents for giving under-served communities the opportunity to escape failing education systems.
“Why do ‘school choice’ advocates never advocate eliminating school district boundaries/funding schools by local property tax and allowing poor, Black [sic] students to attend white, wealthy schools in neighboring municipalities?” wrote Hannah–Jones in a now-removed tweet. “They don’t really want choice, just privatization.”
Hannah–Jones’s argument seemed to be splitting hairs since the benefit to poor minorities would be the same.
The key distinction would be whether teachers unions and political cronies were able to dictate the curriculum or whether parents were empowered to determine what was in their child’s best educational interest.
But the elite New York Times writer and college professor who has made a lucrative living off of professional race-baiting suggested that other sinister forces were preventing people of color from succeeding.
“Classism is allowing rich white communities to fund just their own schools exclusively, and then to keep lower-income folks out through exclusionary zoning and invisible but impenetrable school district boundaries” Hannah–Jones claimed.
“So, you really want a choice? Let’s go,” she continued.
Twitter users were quick to point out that this is indeed what school choice advocates fight for.
This is school choice. You’re making the school choice argument.https://t.co/SQTTOc9uEq
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 7, 2021
Where have you been? That’s why the school choice movement was started.
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) October 7, 2021
School choice advocates literally support all these things.
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) October 7, 2021
“Show me the school choice argument for changing funding by school property tax and for creating countywide and metropolitan school districts,” Hannah–Jones responded to Chen. “I am anxious to see all that I have missed.”
Hannah–Jones gave combative responses to many other Twitter users, requesting they show her articles they’ve written and the recorded arguments of school choice advocates.
This debate was started when Hannah–Jones responded to a tweet from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo:
Believe it or not, it’s not just parents who pay for public schools and not just parents who have a vested interest in public schools. Public schools are a common good designed to create an informed citizenry in a multiracial democracy — two things I know you abhor. pic.twitter.com/yvsJpjfb10
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) October 6, 2021
Her initial response was skepticism for parents deciding what their children should learn in school. This was followed by a recommendation for either homeschooling or sending children to private schools if parents were not satisfied.
Though many Twitter users seemed to agree with her, Hannah-Jones has remained combative and has not responded in a way that suggests alignment with the school choice movement.
