Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jay-Z Hit With Backlash After Promoting GOP-Backed School Voucher Campaign In Philadelphia

Jay-Z
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

The rapper's Roc Nation is facing criticism after announcing they'll host events to promote $300 million in tax payer-funded scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools in Philadelphia.

Rapper Jay-Z is facing criticsm after his entertainment company, Roc Nation, announced on Friday that it will spearhead a campaign to promote a new school voucher program aimed at assisting low-income K-12 students in the Philadelphia area—that's favored by Republicans.

The initiative will include a series of events throughout June to inform residents about the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS), also known as the lifeline scholarship program. This Republican-backed Senate bill aims to provide scholarships for low-income students in underperforming schools, allowing them to attend the school of their choice.


School vouchers, which allow public funds to pay for private school tuition, have a controversial history, initially used by segregationists in the 1950s to avoid integration efforts. Today, conservatives promote vouchers as part of what critics describe as an attack on public education.

In a statement, Dania Diaz, Roc Nation’s managing director of philanthropy, said Roc Nation has "enjoyed such a special connection with Philadelphians, so we’ve made it our mission to invest in the long-term success of the city’s changemakers."

She added:

“Impact starts with the students and with awareness. We want to empower the youth and families with the knowledge to pursue their scholastic dreams, make their voices heard and become the leaders of tomorrow.”

Contrary to some headlines claiming that Jay-Z and Roc Nation are introducing a $300 million scholarship fund, the reality is that this is a taxpayer-funded program.

Roc Nation is simply hosting events to garner support for the bill. Senate Bill 757 is central to a heated debate in the Pennsylvania Capitol as the June 30 budget deadline approaches, with Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro expressing support for vouchers.

Proponents argue that the program offers an alternative path for low-income students to access education that might otherwise be unaffordable. However, critics see it as an effort to undermine public education by diverting taxpayer funds from public schools.

Philadelphia's public school system has been struggling for years, plagued by outdated and dilapidated buildings, overburdened teachers, and chronic underfunding. These issues have contributed to some of the worst educational outcomes in the nation, creating a vicious cycle where poor performance leads to further defunding, exacerbating the problems.

Charter schools, often touted as an alternative, have faced criticism for delivering results that are not significantly better than public schools.

Concerns include employing teachers who may lack proper credentials, offering specialized curriculums that might leave students unprepared for higher education and the workforce, and using selective admission practices that can expel "underperforming" students to maintain high test scores.

The PASS program’s website asserts that its budget will be covered by government funds from a separate line item and will not reduce the overall budget for public education. However, journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones disputed this claim, arguing that fewer students in public schools inevitably mean fewer dollars for those schools

She said:

"I really wish rich, out-of-touch folks who nothing about education would just stop. 1) Read the fine print. THIS IS A GOVT VOUCHER PROGRAM. Voucher programs have not been shown to improve results for poor Black children because most cannot get into high-quality private schools."
"2) Read the fine print. All of the money is coming from taxpayers, ie. the government. Roc Nation is not funding this, it is just launching an educational campaign that maybe it is being paid to do. I'm researching. But certainly, it's involvement is to convince poor Black parents to leave the public schools."
"3) What do you think that $300 million could do for improving those low-performing public schools?"
4) It is a lie that these programs do not take from public-school funding. Fewer kids in the classroom means fewer dollars to the school.
"5) This is a windfall to the city's private schools at the expense of the public ones that most kids attend."

Roc Nation pushed back against the criticism, saying that it is not backing any particular bill or political party but is focused on educating residents about the program.

Diaz, the aforementioned director of philanthropy for the entertainment company, said Roc Nation is "not forcing people to sign anything. We’re just educating them, which I would think everyone wants people to make informed decisions.”

But people were not buying it.



School vouchers remain a contentious issue.

In 2023, a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding system was unconstitutional, and legislators must find a way to fix it. Democrats recently approved a bill to bring $5.1 billion to school districts statewide to address inequities between the wealthiest and poorest schools.

Jay-Z has forged strong connections with Philadelphia through Roc Nation’s annual Made In America festival and his participation in the REFORM Alliance, which focuses on criminal justice reform.

Last year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, endorsed a Republican-supported proposal to allocate $100 million for private school tuition and school supplies for families. However, Shapiro withdrew his support due to opposition from House Democrats.

More from Trending

Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less