I attended a two briefings at East Chapel Hill High School (ECHHS) for the parents of rising 9th graders. All parents of eighth graders received the same invitation. The first session focused on what courses students would need to graduate from high school and to be prepared for University studies, technical college, or direct participation in the work force.

I listened closely. I found the information presented to be so vital, that had I not attended I would be unprepared to assist my daughter in course selection in any meaningful way throughout her time at ECHHS.

At the first meeting, the nearly 200 parents in attendance listened with rapt attention as well s evidenced by the many questions. Graduating from ECHHS with the new requirements would not be a cakewalk. The demands were rigorous.

The eighth grade children of many parents, however, did not attend these crucial meetings. Only one African-American parent was in attendance at the first meeting although the African American student population was more than 12%. At the second meeting where parents had a chance to meet and listen to school counselors, department heads, and teachers, about 275 parents attended, three of which were African-American.

All of the above occurred in 2004. Such poor attendance is another disheartening aspect of our society that bodes well for no one. To me, this spelled the future of America. In 2023 – today – the 13- and 14-year-olds represented by the parents that night are now 32 and 33, out of college and graduate school if they attended, car owners, possibly home owners, heads of families, and hopefully participants in the economic mainstream.

Those students whose parents didn’t listen in 2004 were the most likely to be unprepared at age 13 and 14 and all throughout high school, and the most likely today to be unprepared to be a part of the economic mainstream. Yet, someone will say that education Chapel Hill is unfair or sets students to fail, and that it rewards only certain groups and deprives others.

They will be among the first to rail on about some vague notion of “social justice.” They’ll say the teachers are biased or that the educational system favors whites and Asians. This is simply not the case.

The decades long lack of African-American academic achievement is a do-it-to-yourself proposition. It has nothing to do with CRT, biased teachers, or a dozen other lame excuses. In another 19 years – in 2042 – I wonder if anything, at all, will be any different. I wonder if greater numbers of African-American parents will take the time to listen to school administrators, teachers, and counselors who hold vital keys to the quality of their children’s lives.

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The Cloward-Piven plan is a political strategy developed in the 1960s by two sociology professors, Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. Their aim was to create a crisis in the welfare system by overwhelming it with new applicants, thereby creating chaos and forcing the government to adopt radical leftist policies. Many conservatives believe that what is happening in America today is a clear execution of this plan, with the Biden administration pushing policies that are destroying the country’s economy, increasing welfare dependency, and expanding government power.

Cloward and Piven were both professors at the Columbia University School of Social Work. They were also married to one another. The Cloward-Piven strategy was outlined in a May 1966 article in the liberal magazine The Nation titled “The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty.”

The Cloward-Piven plan is based on the idea that the best way to achieve socialist goals is not through violent revolution but by gradually overloading the welfare state until it collapses. The idea is to create a crisis that will force the government to adopt radical leftist policies, such as universal healthcare, guaranteed income, and the nationalization of key industries.

The plan was first put into practice in New York City in the late 1960s, where Cloward and Piven organized the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO) to increase the number of people on welfare. The NWRO was successful in getting thousands of new people to apply for welfare benefits, which led to a budget crisis in New York City and forced the government to adopt more progressive policies.

Today, many conservatives believe that what is happening in America is a clear execution of the Cloward-Piven plan. They point to the Biden administration’s push for massive spending on welfare programs, such as the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, which includes a $300 weekly unemployment benefit on top of existing state benefits. They argue that this is just the first step in a larger plan to create a crisis in the welfare system and force the government to adopt even more radical policies.

Conservatives also point to the Biden administration’s efforts to increase government power and control. For example, the administration has proposed expanding the size of the Supreme Court, which conservatives argue is an attempt to pack the court with leftist judges who will support radical policies. They also point to the administration’s push for gun control, which they argue is an attempt to disarm the population and make it easier for the government to exert control.

Another way in which the Cloward-Piven plan is being executed is through the push for open borders and mass immigration. Conservatives argue that the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies are overwhelming the country’s social services and welfare system, as more and more illegal immigrants enter the country and rely on government assistance. They argue that this is a deliberate strategy to create a crisis in the system and force the government to adopt more radical policies, such as amnesty for illegal immigrants and the abolition of ICE.

Conservatives also point to the Biden administration’s efforts to increase racial division and stoke class warfare. They argue that the administration’s focus on critical race theory and identity politics is an attempt to divide the country along racial and socioeconomic lines, creating chaos and making it easier for the government to impose radical policies. They also argue that the administration’s push for increased taxes on the wealthy is an attempt to demonize the successful and create class resentment.

Many conservatives see the Cloward-Piven plan as a direct threat to American democracy and capitalism. They argue that the plan is designed to undermine the country’s free market system and replace it with a socialist one. They also argue that the plan is a direct attack on individual liberty, as it seeks to create a society in which the government has almost unlimited power and control over people’s lives.

In conclusion, many conservatives believe that what is happening in America today is a clear execution of the Cloward-Piven plan. They argue that the Biden administration’s policies are creating a crisis in the welfare system, increasing government power and control, and undermining American democracy and capitalism. Whether or not the Cloward-Piven plan is actually being executed is a matter of debate, but there is no doubt that the policies being pushed by the Biden administration are causing significant social and economic disruption.

However, it is worth noting that not all conservatives agree with the idea that the Cloward-Piven plan is being executed. Some argue that the Biden administration’s policies are simply misguided and ineffective, rather than part of a deliberate strategy to undermine American democracy and capitalism.