In a Southern state with a significantly higher black population than Utah, the debate over school vouchers has taken on an added dimension, namely the introduction of the topic of slavery. This volatile issue was raised recently by an anti-voucher advocate from the NAACP, the much-respected Rev. Joseph A. Darby of the Morris Brown A.M.E. Church of Charleston.
Certainly the common experience in our public schools in Utah is far removed from anything comparable to the inhumane experiences of slavery. Nonetheless, there are relevant, often poignant, parallels between slavery as a human system of control and what we now face with the increasingly inflexible system of restrictive schooling.
The historic lessons of slavery inform our current debate over school vouchers. First, slave families were not allowed to control the educational opportunities of their children. They had no say in what their children were taught, when they were taught, who taught them, or in assisting in the teaching.
One hundred forty years later, public school parents are allowed to at least offer some input, but they still do not exercise any semblance of real control within the "system."
Second, true freedom, educational or otherwise, came to slave families only as they escaped the plantation system. Today, little has changed. Educational freedom requires families to needlessly separate themselves from the broader public school community.
Our modern system of restrictive school laws forces a new kind of segregation upon families desiring the control of their children¹s education.
Third, the state interest and the common good were used as justifications to maintain control of the plantation system. The "special interests" of their day, the slave masters, taught their slaves that they were doing them and society a favor by controlling their lives. The special interests of our day make the same arguments in support of the status quo.
Fourth, slave holders ignored the Constitution and its protections of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people. It took a constitutional amendment to more explicitly expose slave holders to this American concept of freedom. While statutory, school vouchers and other positive reforms in Utah offer the same sort of changes to our restrictive schooling system.
And fifth, slavery was ultimately abolished by the courageous efforts of people of good will, unafraid of the consequences of freedom and trusting in the ability of all people to assume personal responsibility for their own actions. The "system" became subordinate to the people.
The human experience was prized above efficiency and economy. And the interests of families and children were finally held sacred above money. Helping people better themselves became the goal, and the system was forced to adapt to the real common good.
Our friends in South Carolina, on both sides of the issue, have helped Utahns to better understand what is at stake in the school voucher debate. One good turn deserves another our Utah State Legislature set the example for the nation, and now segments of the nation set the example for us to dialogue with passion, courage, honor and vision to make Utah a better place to live, work and raise a family.
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PAUL T. MERO is president of the Sutherland Institute, a conservative public policy think tank. This commentary is an excerpt from a new Sutherland essay titled, "Defending Systems and Freeing Slaves: A Relevant Message about School Vouchers from South Carolina" at www.SutherlandInstitute.org)
