Education secretary to speak at historically black school

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A historically black university in Florida has picked U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos as its keynote commencement speaker. The area NAACP leader calls the invitation a “slap in the face.”

Officials with Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach said Monday that DeVos will speak at the May 10 ceremony.

DeVos has been an outspoken champion of vouchers for charter and private schools. She was criticized earlier this year when she said historically black colleges were pioneers of school choice. In fact, most historically black schools were founded to give African-Americans educational opportunities they were denied because of racial segregation and discrimination.

NAACP Florida State Conference president Adora Obi Nweze says DeVos is undeserving of the invitation.