MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As protests enter their fourth day in the nation’s capital, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves put out a statement saying his state has “led the nation” in overcoming a great injustice. He called the country “safer for children than it was just a few short hours ago.”
But in Memphis, Dr. Bobby White disagreed.
“We have prided ourselves in helping our babies understand they have a voice,” White said.
He leads the small charter network of Frayser Community Schools. He said he’s concerned about the impact of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision on his girl students and cited a study where more than half of girls who give birth while in high school never graduate.
“This for me is another way of controlling bodies, controlling someone’s right to have a choice with what they want to do,” he said. “If there is a point in our country where we don’t have a choice with what we do with our own bodies then we are setting a precedent for something I don’t think any of us are really comfortable with.”
He said he’s not sure how, but he will be ready with a plan to address the issue when students return to the classroom in the fall.
“Their voice will be heard, at the ballot box, on the streets, around the country,” he said.
WREG contacted DeSoto County, Memphis Shelby County, Germantown, and Collierville school district representatives to find out if they have a message for students and staff, but no one responded to our requests.