February 20, 2012

Being Kevin Johnson

By M. Catharine Evans and Ann Kane
The stars aligned on November 4, 2008 for two political and social friends. One would live and work on the West Coast and the other on the East Coast and they would both champion the new civil rights movement -- education. Their visions for America's school children converge in a platform of teacher accountability, charter schools and Race To The Top. Former NBA star Kevin Johnson became the first African-American Mayor of Sacramento on the same night Barack Obama became the first African-American President. Shortly after his election, Johnson told the Sacramento Bee, "Obama and myself, we ran on the promise and the theme of change. No more business as usual." There were other similarities. Both were raised by their Caucasian maternal grandparents; both were relative political rookies; both were involved early on in the nonprofit education movement and both candidates won their respective races despite problematic pasts. The two men also knew each other, according to Johnson. In...(Read Full Article)