Stop punishing gifted students: War on merit, honors programs is hurting Black children, others

Merit-based programs offer a solution to boost the participation of Blacks, racial minorities and disadvantaged kids in disciplines such as the sciences.

Patrice Onwuka is the director of the Center for Economic Opportunity at Independent Women’s Forum and cohost of O’Connor & Company on WMAL.

Bath enjoyed many firsts, including being the first woman to chair an ophthalmology residency program in the United States. In 1986, she discovered a new device and less painful method to remove cataracts. Despite a colleague’s sexist denials of her breakthrough, Bath became the first Black female doctor to receive a medical patent for her treatment.

A merit-based program set Bath on a career path. In high school, she won a competitive research opportunity from the National Science Foundation at Yeshiva University. Bath called it "life changing" for a White Jewish school teacher to mentor her, a Black teen from Harlem.