In 1999, the then head of the Colorado Springs NAACP, Willie Breazell, Sr. was fired for writing a pro-school choice column - an unforgivable sin in the eyes of the leadership of many African-American pressure groups. But Breazell bounced back to join the Black Alliance for Educational Options and become "a voice for the many minority parents who want change but have instead met resistance from their own national leaders." According to the Wall Street Journal, "vindication came last week when Breazell and three fellow pro-voucher candidates trounced union-supported competitors to win a majority of seats on the Colorado Springs School District 11 board, the largest district of the city." That's good news for choice supporters in the city, since the board's first order of business is to "determine whether to approve three new charter schools" and later to "decide if more private schools should be eligible to accept vouchers." We only hope that this new reform-minded board is able to maintain its majority in the face of what is bound to be a fierce union battle in the next election cycle.
"Free Willie - II," editorial, Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2003 (subscription required)