Jonathan Kozol: The Forgotten Children of the South Bronx (Democracy Now!, transcript)

Jonathan Kozol · 28 Apr 2000

Jonathan Kozol did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
The inequalities poor children face are worse than ever

Their wordsI still get mad as hell every time I read about or see first-hand the vicious inequalities that these kids face, and those inequalities are worse now than they’ve ever been.
Our reading
Poor children proved more resilient than his first book expected

Their wordsYou know, I start with a book called Death at an Early Age, but they didn’t die as easily as I thought.
Our reading
The real crime is a society that locks poor children into the most segregated schools

Their wordsThe crime I worry about is the massive crime of a society that viciously short-changes them year after year after year, who locks them into the most segregated public schools in the United States.
Our reading
Vouchers are the worst idea in the public education debate in his adult lifetime

Their wordsvouchers are the worst idea that has come into the public education debate in my adult lifetime.
Our reading
School vouchers originated with Southern segregationists

Their wordsVouchers have the historical origin in Southern segregationists.
Our reading
Vouchers amount to triage, pulling out the children of the savviest parents

Their wordsSo, essentially, what vouchers amount to are a triage solution.

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