Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Obama Encounters Strangest Trio Since <i>To Wong Foo</i>
By
Billy Parker
Published May 7, 2009
Modified May 7, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published May 7, 2009
Modified May 7, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
President Obama must have felt like he was hosting an improv comedy parlor game of Party Quirks this afternoon when he welcomed to the White House Mayor Bloomberg, the Reverend Al Sharpton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. The trio was there as part of the nonprofit group, the Education Equality Project. The meeting also included NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who despite co-founding the project, was not deemed worthy of any of today's AP photo opportunities—stick to events headlined by Randi Weingarten if you ever want to be remembered, Joel!
The group met today at the request of Sharpton (the other co-founded of EEP) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education. The Washington Post says that the focus of their discussion with the president was "closing the achievement gap among America's public school students, an issue bound up in race, class, money and politics." At the press conference following, Politico says that Bloomberg brushed off a question about AF1's Manhattan flyby.
Tagged
al sharpton
education
joel klein
mayor bloomberg
photo op
president obama
reverend al sharpton
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .