Filed under: Dr. Boyce Money, News
The subjects of their disdain were Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Sanford Bishop (D- GA). Both of the legislators are being accused of using CBC Scholarship funds as their personal family gift bag. Johnson was made into the worst of the culprits, giving $31,000 in scholarship money to her relatives. She also signed two letters written to the CBC Foundation specifically requesting that the funds be sent directly to her two grandsons and grand nephews, instead of their universities. Rep. Bishop is accused of giving three scholarships to his stepdaughter and wife's neice in 2003 and 2005.
Congresswoman Johnson was made into the villain of the night, as Anderson politely pointed out every single contradiction in her defense. She first claimed that she was not involved in the administration of the scholarship money, but that is contradicted by the letter she wrote, asking that the funds be sent to her grand children. She is also making matters worse by taking a more aggressive public stance on the matter and seeming to claim that she did nothing wrong. She at first argued that she didn't know the rules of the scholarship, and later seemed to know the rules better than she initially stated.
Congresswoman Johnson also violated the rule stating that the scholarships must go to someone in her district. The relatives she gave the awards to are not represented by Johnson. This revelation undermines her credibility with voters in her district, since it appears that she is not representing their interests. I would personally be livid to find out that my child applied for a scholarship that was given to a less qualified student who happened to be related to the person in charge of the funds.
Taking this from the top, it's clear that Congresswoman Johnson made a mistake. Her decision to use CBC Foundation scholarship money for personal benefit not only stinks of corruption, it undermines the hard work being put in by young people across America who truly thought they had a chance to win those scholarships. Congresswoman Johnson has repaid the money, which is certainly a good thing for her administration. She also has the loyalty of her district, which has elected her time and time again. But I personally believe she is not being truthful about how some things went down, including the fact that she is unaware of who signed her name to the letter stating that the money go directly to her relatives. If someone signs your name and pretends that the letter is written by you, they should be prosecuted for forging your signature.
Congresswoman Johnson has refused to apologize for any wrongdoing. She is also unwilling to defend herself in the national media to exonerate herself and her team. She and Bishop seem to believe that by remaining silent in the shadows, this will all go away. By avoiding the issues, Bishop and Johnson are behaving like arrogant aristocrats who can ignore the interests of the people they represent. This adds to the pre-existing damage to their reputations for leaving common folks to the side so they can use government resources to take care of their own. This kind of elitist behavior should not be tolerated by any of us.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.