March 26, 2012
By Mohammed Shamim
With the programs provided by Lehman High School and the diversity of the student body that have resulted from this school, it seems very clear that Lehman should stay and Mayor Bloomberg should go. Lehman High School’s students and faculty, supported by Bronx community members, have made the argument of why Lehman should not undergo the process of ‘turnaround’. The parents that were present at the joint public hearing on Wednesday, March 2012 spoke out saying the school has been a part of their children’s lives as well as their own. Many of their children who attend Lehman argued that the school has been an influential part of their lives and the community’s. Many alumni came forward to tell the Department of Education (DOE) what their own children have accomplished and how it all started in this very school.
As many people have pointed out, Mayor Bloomberg is a scam-artist. He has claimed to have created new schools, but in reality he has only closed and renamed old schools. A local Parent Association member pointed out that Bloomberg is running a tyranny over the people of the City of New York. People don’t realize it, but the ones that do are not taking any action against it. The New York City Mayor is only allowed a two year term limit, which Bloomberg went against when he ran for his third term, disobeying all laws indicating such.
I, as the Youth Committee President of the Bronx Chapter of the Alliance of the South Asian American Labor, have written a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg on behalf of our organization’s views on the situation at hand, have addressed Herbert H. Lehman High School at its joint public hearing, mobilized youths to get involved with things that affect them directly and created a public awareness. ASAAL’s Youth Committee has done our part and will continue to do so. However, I leave you all with this: why would we expect someone we trust so little to do something so big?
Mohammed Shamim, Youth Committee President of the Bronx Chapter can be reached at (646)-361-0465 or by visiting: www.asaal.org.
