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Brown v. Board was decided 65 years ago but our fight for equality is not over. The work to ensure we have equity and full opportunity in our classrooms, our schools, and our education system must continue.
The work continues when we see an unconscionable achievement gap in our classrooms that is already in full force on the very first day of kindergarten -- where black children are already 10 months behind in math and 12 months behind in reading compared to their white classmates.
The work continues when in that same kindergarten classroom, children of color are five times more likely to be disciplined, suspended, or expelled as a white child -- impacting their opportunity and potential. A school to prison pipeline in full effect at five years old.
The work continues when we see shameful race-based disparities in HS graduation rates, in who can access higher education or skills training, and in who earns a degree. Happening as we fail to invest equitable resources in education and fail to make higher education affordable.
But I am committed to meeting this challenge with everything we've got. It starts by increasing public school funding for low-income and underserved communities, guaranteeing the equitable distribution of resources, and ensuring teachers reflect the diversity of this country.
It continues by finally achieving universal pre-k for every three and four-year-old, securing affordable childcare, signing into law paid family leave, and ensuring our country's minimum wage is a living wage so no parent has to work a second or third job to make ends meet.
We will also decriminalize truancy. States like Texas have taken the first step by repealing laws that prosecute children for truancy, but the fines their parents face still loom large in a system that disproportionately targets black and brown students. I will take this on.
And as president, I will only nominate judges who respect, affirm, and defend Brown v. Board. Andrew Oldham doesn't get nominated. Neither does Wendy Vitter. If you don't believe in civil rights, in equity, in opportunity, you don't belong in a position of public trust.
