By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on February 29, 2024
An Editorial Opinion
There are 33 Black lawmakers in the 140-seat Alabama Legislature. All but one are Democrats. All of them support a bill to give Birmingham Southern College, a private historically White school, $30 million in taxpayer money as a “loan.”
Birmingham Southern is a financially distressed college that has no credit rating whatsoever. In December 2023, Moody's credit rating agency withdrew the college's rock-bottom "junk bond" credit rating.
No Black loan applicant who lacked a bank, Dun & Bradstreet, or Moody's credit rating has ever gotten a loan from the state of Alabama. Starting with Birmingham Southern, this is a "White privilege" that is sponsored and backed by Black legislators.
Not one of these 33 Black lawmakers has filed a bill in the current session of the Legislature to require the state of Alabama to pay its $527 million debt to Alabama A&M University. Not one of these 33 Black lawmakers has spoken a word about this confirmed debt in public.
The state was formally notified of the debt in a September 18, 2023, letter from the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture. Read the letter here.
No candidate running for Congress in the new court-ordered 2nd Congressional District in Alabama has mentioned the state's $527 million debt to Alabama A&M or pledged to collect it.
The state's lone Black Congresswoman (Terri Sewell) has avoided any public discussion of the $527 million debt.
Alabama A&M’s president and board of trustees have avoided any public discussion of this $527 million debt, as well. They have no plans whatsoever to collect this money.
Who represents the political and financial interests of Blacks in Alabama? Absolutely nobody!