In 2013 a documentary was released by the name of Corridor of Shame.

The

documentary focuses on a band of counties stretching alongside I-95 in the lower middle

portion of the state. The name “Corridor of Shame” stems from the notoriously poor

infrastructure and low testing scores produced by these counties school districts. These awful

school districts were not compared to the national average in order to determine their

mediocrity but rather to the school districts just a few counties away. And It’s no surprise that

the corridor of shame also houses some of the most impoverished areas of the state.

I am from Sumter county which lies in the corridor of shame. I’ve seen the striking

difference between schools like Wando and River bluff compared to Crestwood and Manning

High. You wouldn’t think they were within a hundred miles of each other. One has entrances

that closely resemble 5-star hotels and the other is poorly painted brick with cockroaches on

the walls. This disparity should not exist! There is an education crisis. You don’t have to go to

some underdeveloped country to find it because it’s in our back yard. The people who would

benefit the most from sound and quality education are being cheated! Due to a systematic

diversion of funds that stems from a dark history of our country. The Americans who could

most benefit from mankind’s greatest tool are being denied their right.

It could easily be argued that these areas require more funding than the wealthier

areas. The children require proper assessment of their social and emotional needs that goes

beyond learning. With an extremely high amount of students living under the poverty line,

Many students at these schools don’t just rely on school to learn. School for them can be a

refuge. Often times school is one of the primary and consistent sources of structure in their

lives. The people who need education the most are receiving it the least.
 I would like to advocate for a better allocation of our tax money to increase education

funding in two ways. Firstly, an equal budgeting of funds between school districts. Taxes in SC

are collected based on the value of the property. This is a systematically flawed and racial

aspect of our government. Your parent’s income should not determine your quality of

education. Secondly, I do not necessarily believe taxes should be increased but a better

allocation of tax money is required. Our government spins trillions of dollars making guns and

lofty foreign deals while we have serious issues at home of which education is the most

important step towards solving.

There’s a reason education has been barred off to lower society throughout history.

There’s a reason slaves weren’t allowed to read. And There’s a reason your parents are willing

to pay such copious amounts of money for you to be here right now. Nelson Mandela said

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

So Why are we oppressing our fellow Americans why are we denying them opportunity.

I want to imagine a world where social status doesn’t determine your quality of

education. A world where money doesn’t hinder you from climbing the ladder and changing the

world.