School board in Missouri, now controlled by conservatives, revokes anti-racism resolution - KOB.com
By: KOB (KOB. com)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By JIM SALTER The Associated Press
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, about 2,000 protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb and urged the mostly white Francis Howell School District to address racial discrimination. The school board responded with a resolution promising to do better.
Now the board, led by new conservative board members elected since last year, has revoked that anti-racism resolution and copies of it will be removed from school buildings.
The resolution passed in August 2020 "pledges to our learning community that we will speak firmly against any racism, discrimination, and senseless violence against people regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.
"We will promote racial healing, especially for our Black and brown students and families," the resolution states. "We will no longer be silent."
The board's decision follows a trend that began with backlash against COVID-19 pandemic policies in places around the nation. School board elections have become intense political battlegrounds, with political action groups successfully electing candidates promising to take action against teachings on race and sexuality, remove books deemed offensive and stop transgender-inclusive sports teams.
The Francis Howell district is among Missouri's largest, with 17,000 students, about 87% of whom are white. The vote, which came during an often contentious meeting Thursday, rescinded resolutions 75 days after "a majority of current Board of Education members were not signatories to the resolution or did not otherwise vote to adopt the resolution."
While a few others also will be canceled, the anti-racism resolution was clearly the focus. Dozens of people opposed to its revocation packed the board meeting, many holding signs reading, "Forward, not backward."
Kimberly Thompson, who is Black, attended Francis Howell schools in the 1970s and 1980s, and her two children graduated from the district. She described several instances of racism and urged the board to stand by its 2020 commitment.
"This resolution means hope to me, hope of a better Francis Howell School District," Thompson said. "It means setting expectations for behavior for students and staff regardless of their personal opinions."
The board's vice president, Randy Cook, said phrases in the resolution such as "systemic racism" aren't defined and mean different things to different people. Another board member, Jane Puszkar, said the resolution served no purpose.
"What has it really done," she asked. "How effective has it really been?"
Since the resolution was adopted, the makeup of the board has flipped. Just two board members remain from 2020. Five new members elected in April 2022 and April 2023 had the backing of the conservative political action committee Francis Howell Families.
In 2021, the PAC described the anti-racism resolution as "woke activism" and drafted an alternative resolution to oppose "all acts of racial discrimination, including the act of promoting tenets of the racially-divisive Critical Race Theory, labels of white privilege, enforced equity of outcomes, identity politics, intersectionalism, and Marxism."
Cook, who was elected in 2022 and sponsored the revocation, said there is no plan to adopt that alternative or any other.
"In my opinion, the school board doesn't need to be in the business of dividing the community," Cook said. "We just need to stick to the business of educating students here and stay out of the national politics."
Many districts are dealing with debates over topics mislabeled as critical race theory. School administrators say the scholarly theory centered on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation's institutions is not taught in K-12 schools.
Others assert that school systems are misspending money, perpetuating divisions and shaming white children by pursuing initiatives they view as critical race theory in disguise.
In 2021, the Ohio State Board of Education rescinded an anti-racism and equity resolution that also was adopted after Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. It was replaced with a statement promoting academic excellence without respect to "race, ethnicity or creed."
Racial issues remain especially sensitive in the St. Louis region, nine years after a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown during a street confrontation. Officer Darren Wilson was not charged and the shooting led to months of often violent protests, becoming a catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement.
Revoking the Francis Howell resolution "sets a precedent for what's to come," St. Charles County NAACP President Zebrina Looney warned.
"I think this is only the beginning for what this new board is set out to do," Looney said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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In other words, we can't condemn white racism unless we also condemn CRT and labels of "white privilege". There are not an inconsiderable number of white people who actually believe that they are the true victims of racism.
When someone starts a sentence with "in other words" it means they want to spin the words said to promote their narrative. They don't need "in other words" their actual words are fine as is.
What on earth was wrong with that?
The new school board thinks it goes too far...
The first part, nothing.
It is the next statement, "We will promote racial healing, especially for our Black and brown students and families," the resolution states. "We will no longer be silent." WTF is that other than a little virtue signaling?
What kind of racial healing do white people need?
Protection from woke assholes trying to divide everything by race.
Not all white people are racists- but white apologists sure as hell are. The vast majority of us have nothing to apologize for- so stop trying to make us.
I don't recall saying they do.
What exactly did they mean by racial healing that the first sentence did not cover and what have they done about it since the statement was made?
If you don't apologize for it then you won't feel the need to do something to make amends for it.
Who is asking you personally to apologize for racism?
So, the problem is that the school board rejected 'woke' racism. Opposing all acts of racial discrimination doesn't require CRT, identity politics, victimhood, or phony standards to collectivize outcomes. Anti-racism doesn't require convincing society that Blacks are stupid, helpless, and unable to function in modern society.
That isn't enough for some. They seem to need all whites to feel guilty about what their ancestors may or may not have been involved with in the past and somehow atone for those actions.
I dont feel guilty about what my ancestors did. That is a red herring in this. One can acknowledge the effect that the history of this country has had on race relations without "feeling guilty".
And then what? No action required other than admit it?
White Europeans kicked the world's ass. That's the problem. We repeatedly hear about Fascism; that's white European. Socialism/communism came from white Europe. Even the democracy that everyone harps about came from white Europe. We live in a world shaped almost entirely by white Europeans. That's global history written over thousands of years. White Europeans have kicked the ass of every civilization that they encountered over thousands of years.
The fact is that we live in a white world. Whining and griping about it won't change thousands of years of history. White privilege is an accomplishment that has been earned over those thousands of years of history.
White Europeans, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Vlad the Impaler and the RCC. Mass killer all.
In case you were not aware this is an important part of the development of the US.
The Iroquois Confederacy, founded by the Great Peacemaker in 1142 1 , is the oldest living participatory democracy on earth 2 . In 1988, the U.S. Senate paid tribute with a resolution 3 that said, "The confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy, as were many of the democratic principles which were incorporated into the constitution itself."
Sounds like something right out of ''Birth of a Nation''.
When white people were living in wooden shacks, China had a culture. The South American tribes were building Temples, and as Kavika pointed out, North American Indians had democracy.
World history is an ever-changing event and whites have only been on top in certain parts of the world for about 2,000 years and even then, it was not worldwide.
In case you haven't noticed, the Iroquois ain't defenders of global democracy and the Iroquois don't bankroll anybody. Democracy around the world is modeled on the Roman democratic republic. People around the world today are trying to revive Roman democracy; nobody cares about the Iroquois.
Biden ain't trying to turn the United States into the Iroquois nation. Biden is trying to turn the United States into Europe.
Nerm,
That was not the point. You said:
To which Kavika noted that it didn't. It was not unique to white Europeans.
Wrong. Our democracy as in the US was based on the Romans. Europe first had kingdoms that went back to the ancient world and then parliamentary systems and even now, most democracies are not based on the Roman system.
And no one brought up Biden, so I'm not sure where that came from.
Well, then, show how the democracy that everyone harps about came from the Iroquois. Demonstrate how the Iroquois influenced Greek democracy, Roman democratic republicanism, and was incorporated into European human secularism. Show us how the Iroquois shaped the modern world.
Our form of government did not come from the Iroquois. Our form of government did not come from Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or South American civilizations.
How can I be wrong when you repeat what I said? A parliamentary system is based upon the Roman Senate; legislation by representation. In Greek democracy the legislative function was a gathering of citizens to debate and vote on issues; legislation by referendum.
Joe Biden has been the most prominent voice harping about democracy. Biden hasn't invoked the Iroquois to call for defending democracy. Biden invokes European history. Biden has portrayed himself as defender of democracy created by ancient Greece, Rome, and European enlightenment.
I noticed your inability to give credit to any other race other than white for their accomplishments. In addition to being the oldest participatory democracy on earth, one that our founders recognized. Historically, American Indians have the highest record of military service per capita when compared to other ethnic groups. If you served in the military you would have noticed that the US military is made up of many races, white is not the only one, so did you serve and if you did, did you notice that the soldier/marine/airman/coast guard person next to you wasn't white?
Your obsession and dislike for Biden is noted although you really haven't made any points other than to push white supremacy.
Thanks for giving us a good look at what you believe in.
" the Iroquois ain't defenders of global democracy and the Iroquois don't bankroll anybody. Democracy around the world is modeled on the Roman democratic republic."
Quite true - the Iroquois didn't/haven't/don't want to "defend global democracy" or "bankroll anybody".
Quite false - the Greek republic was the model the Romans copied, not the other way around. But, yeah, they were both male dominant societies and they were both "white".
Kavika made some excellent points and, I personally believe, that it would behoove you to read the links posted in his comments.
Their constitution, recorded and kept alive on a two row wampum belt, held many concepts familiar to United States citizens today.
The above are characteristics of governance that the Iroquois introduced to the "new guys (i.e. white society)" for the founding of this method of madness called U.S. democracy, i.e. the "Republic form of government".
Interesting to note - 1998, Asia had the largest world population of 59.5%; European 13.5%, Africa 12.9%, Hispanic 8.6%; U. S. 5.5% -
So, the "white guys" only have 19.0% of the world's ethnicities and, yet, they are the largest contributors to the BS that's going on in the world. (Wonder why the Asians haven't tried that world dominance thingy - oh, yeah, the "white guys" are "more advanced, right?)
Read what Kavika and Perrie responded to you - not what you wanted it to say, but what it really says.
Thanks for the info. But you're missing the simple fact that the Constitution established a federation and not a confederation. The Iroquois may have served as a model for the Confederate States of America but not for our Federal republic.
The "white guys" also control 40 pct of global GDP, established the current methods of global trade, control the largest and most advanced military in the history of the planet, are responsible for technological progress the modern world depends upon, and created the human rights and social progress that have become the hallmarks of modern societies. The "white guys" are responsible for economic development of the third world, alleviating global poverty, improving global health and wellbeing, subsidizing global education, maintaining the global food supply, and now fighting climate change.
We would not be living in an affluent, technologically advanced society if there had not been "white guys".
The parliamentary system is not based on the Roman Senate, no matter how many times you repeat it. And the Romans didn't base their government on Greece, since Greece had a parliamentary system government. You are confusing forms of government with types of governance. Democracies have existed in various forms all over the world, and that is what Kavika was trying to tell you. That it is not unique to white people.
Even as recently as the 15th century. The Moors in Spain had medicine, architecture, and were eating vegetabes. Meanwhile, Tudor England was eating meat and bread and were still bleeding people when they got sick
Kavika observed that the Iroquois established a working democracy. You are focusing on the fact that they had a confederacy (not a federation) and ignoring his point about its original participatory democracy.
The democracy factor was his point.
Kavika was attempting to deflect from my original comment @3.1.3 where I explicitly stated "Even the democracy that everyone harps about came from white Europe."
Yeah, there have been other democracies. But the western democracy of white Europe has displaced all those other democracies and now dominates the planet (which was my original point). Are you trying to tell me that the warnings about threats to democracy have been about anything other than western democracy?
You just cannot bring yourself to gracefully accept a correction.
Your rebuttal focused on confederacy not being the same as a federation. That misses the point Kavika made about original democracy. The confederation of the Iroquois was not the point.
Now that is one wild-assed non-sequitur. No, Nerm, I was telling you that Kavika's point was about original democracy.
So, I've proven that you were wrong and now I'm being made the topic of discussion. The Iroquois were never the point. Other democracies were never the point. The point is that white Europeans kicked the world's ass.
Wow! It is so messed up you believe that.
Get a grip, Nerm. Kavika's point was about democracy. And his relationship of democracy to the USA was this:
You cannot prove me wrong because my comment simply corrected you on what Kavika wrote.
Do not use dishonest tactics with me.
Tell that to the Chinese, Japan, and the Eastern world.
Besides, the concept that conquest equals good, is a very off the mark.
Actually, that is a false point that you're trying to make in a bizarre attempt to make white supremacy legitimate.
While you are trying to prove this and you also show that you do not know the difference between Roman, Greek or parliamentary and refuse to accept that the Western Europeans were not the first to have a democracy in various forms that don't agree with your view.
The Mongol empire kicked everyone's ass including whites. Great empires existed with huge technological advances while Europe was living in caves which is a historical fact.
As the US spread democracy and fought in many wars to preserve freedom do you actually believe that the US military was ''all white?''. Let me assure you that you are very wrong on that subject.
You would know that if you were not tied up in the white supremacy nonsense, or if you served in the military.
I'm not trying to legitimize white supremacy. I am not saying white dominance of the world is good, bad, or otherwise. I'm only pointing out that white dominance of the world is accurate.
I haven't made any claims about first. I'm only pointing out that western democracy is the model around the world. Western democracy has displaced and replaced all democracies that came before. Western democracy is the last the world has known.
And the Mongol Empire is now controlled by Russia which is European. I never said white Europeans have always dominated the planet. But white Europeans are the only people that have dominated the entire world. The Mongols never extended their influence from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans as have Europeans.
Do you actually believe that the US military employs tactics and strategies that were not developed by white Europeans? Do you actually think the US military fight like American Indians, Africans, or Asians? Where do you think mechanized warfare came from?
Yes, if you know anything about the military you'd know that US military took the best from many other races and countries. The Art of War, an influential document written by the ancient Chinese military strategist (also known as Sun-Tzu), is one of the first known treatise on warfare strategy in history. It is a book that most every military leader has read and It is recommended reading for all United States Military Intelligence personnel. The Art of War is also used as instructional material at the US Military Academy at West Point, in the course Military Strategy (470), and it is also recommended reading for Officer cadets at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
Or ''On Guerilla Warfare'' by Mao Zedong is another classic. The Five Rings by Misushi is also quite good.
Military schools still study Nez Perce, Chief Joseph, Old Joe and Looking Glass tactics and strategy.
My question to you wasn't tactics and strategies but did you believe that US armies were all white? You did not answer just like you haven't answered if you served in the US military.
That is wrong. The Mongol Empire stretched from Mongolia through China to most of Europe.
Check out the interactive map here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire#:~:text=Originating%20in%20present%2Dday%20Mongolia,Asia%2C%20and%20conquered%20the%20Iranian
And Mongolia still exists. It is not part of Russia.
Exactly, and the Mongols may have killed more than any ethnic group. The were expert Calvary Men.
Yes, they were killers, but then again, so were many others that followed.
Yes, the history of humans. How astute.
At one time most of the eastern world were colonized by white Europeans including China and India. Japan was soundly beaten by mostly white men in WW II.
True, but not until the Japanese had raped most of Asia and Korea for far longer. Don’t minimize the inhumanity of races other than white.
Perhaps you missed the Vietnam war (s) the Vietnamese defeated the French, and sadly the US. The US learned a very hard lesson and did the French.
The Korean War is another example.
I think so
Any ethnic or racial group can be inhuman. That was never the discussion here. The claim was that in post 3.1.3
Yes, this landlocked country lies between to very authoritarian regimes, Russia and China. And of course, ethnic Mongolians in Inner Mongolia (part of China) suffer the typical abuse of any ethnic minority in China. I'll stop there before I get too far out on thin ice.
Unfortunately true.
Perhaps you are forgetful of the fact that Vietnam was a French colony at one time.
didn’t forget that at all I suppose you and the French think that is some type is achievement. The vietnamese kicking the shit out of the French was a nice payback.
And for some dumb reason I actually believed Nerm. Thanks for straightening that out for me,, Perrie
Kicking French butt isn't a big deal you could get a boy scout troop to do it. We were not militarily beat in Vietnam. We won every major engagement. Our political leaders cost us that one.
LOL, oh yeah I'm sure they could./s
That is true that we won every major engagement, but we lost the war. We had overpowering air/naval/ground forces but were fighting a people that were fighting for their country and had decades of experience in combat. It was a lesson for us to learn and from what I've seen we did not learn it, hence Iraq and Afghanistan followed.
The Vietnamese fought a hit and run war, and drained us over the years. One of the amazing stats from that war was the amount of bombs that we dropped on them along with the use of Naplam, willie peter, agent orange, and flame throwers.
If anyone thinks that the Vietnamese were anything but tough as nails they were not there.
Studying General Vo Nguyen Giap's tactics should be required reading for all military schools.
IMO, if we had somehow won the war it would have never ended since the Vietnamese would have had an insurgency against any occupier, US or otherwise.
Citing all sorts of history before white Europeans kicked the world's ass won't change the fact, too. The Korean War has been described as a contest between Communism and Western Democracy. Both socialism/communism and western democracy are European ideologies; where is the Korean culture in that contest?
Even the inhumanity of any ethnic or racial group is measured by white European standards. You know the indigenous people of the Americas engaged in ethnic cleansing, targeting non-combatants, torture, mistreatment of prisoners, mutilation of the war dead. To the indigenous people that is tradition and culture but it's inhuman according to white European standards. Those white European standards are still being used to civilize the heathen savages regardless of ethnic and racial history, tradition, or culture.
No other race or civilization has made white European measures of civil rights, human rights, or liberal secularism universal standards for the human condition around the world. White Europeans have kicked the world's ass. And white Europeans will judge other ethnicities, races, cultures, and civilizations according to white European standards and punish those who do not conform.
The modern universal liberal standards and measures for civilized behavior are a hallmark of white privilege that has been earned. White Europeans claim they have the authority to punish those who do not conform to white European standards. No other race, ethnicity, culture, or civilization can make that boast.
That is what happens when the US doesn't fight to win.
You can throw in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Syria and Ukraine are heading that way.
We suck at nation building- we have failed everywhere we have tried it. Nation building isn't winning a war. Nation building and fighting to win are many times at odds with each other.
It's Missouri, one should not be surprised at this.
Not surprising at all, now that democrats are no longer in charge racism won’t be as big an issue.
Republicans have massive majorities in both state houses, hold the governorship, Secretary of State, and AG. So we can be sure that more nonsense will be coming out of Missouri.
Very true, just like one should never be surprised by the progressive crackpottery coming from states like California
Your comment has nothing to do with my comment or the article.
Keep swinging.
Sure it does. It’s the same topic for a different state.
Keep tossing balls …. I’ll take the walk.
Since you're unable to get a hit, a walk will have to do.
Like I said, I’ll the walk over swinging at garbage pitches … no problem.
Most good hitters can hit a bad pitch out of the park.
keep swinging.
Lol …. Good hitters don’t swing at bad pitches. The last Triple Crown Winner walked 66 times. Top 30 in MLB.
Keep throwing balls, never pitch in the bigs ….
Interesting how we never seem to get an answer to this question.