Only at National Public Radio would an honest, human opinion get you fired. The elites at NPR just couldn’t live with a commoner such as Juan Williams…he might be too low brow for their DC cocktail parties.
Despite my various philosophical disagreements with Juan, I have complete respect for him as an individual.
This past August, Williams was a keynote speaker at a school choice conference attended by hundreds of reform-minded individuals. While most of the so-called civil rights leaders reside in the hip pocket of the teacher unions, Williams bravely bucks the liberal party line and boldly speaks out for school choice, calling it the civil rights issue of our time. He’s right, of course.
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But I suspect such talk only strengthened the resolve of the radical left to silence his voice. (The Left has never forgiven Williams for providing commentary to Fox News programming. In their small-minded view, Williams is a sell-out.) So last week, when Williams violated PC-standards and made some honest comments about radical Islam on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” the left seized the moment. Suddenly, one of the most tolerant, fair-minded liberal voices in the news media was labeled a bigot, and was sacked from his day job at NPR.
During this episode, Williams has proven himself to be a class-act, a serious journalist who is concerned only about pursuing the truth.
It was the pursuit of truth that brought Williams to the school choice conference a few months ago. After his speech, National School Choice Week caught up with Juan and asked him why he’s a supporter of school choice. Here’s what he said:
“I grew up as a poor kid in Brooklyn, New York, and if it wasn’t for caring teachers…and my mother becoming aware of a scholarship opportunity to go to a private school, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you today. I wouldn’t be who I am without a quality education.”
Juan Williams gets it. He understands that school choice is the only way to save kids from failing schools. Thanks to the bunglers at NPR, Juan Williams is the most popular figure in the news media today. And I’m proud to stand with him in the school choice movement.
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