Rochester clergy condemn actions of school board protesters
Clergy across the religious spectrum are speaking out against the hostile actions by some protesters at last week’s Rochester School Board meeting.
In a letter published this week, more than two dozen leaders of the faith community said they stand opposed to the “fear and aggression expressed by a portion of the public” during the board’s open comment period.
During last Tuesday’s meeting, demonstrators disrupted proceedings with outbursts about the district’s stances on Black Lives Matter and masking. They also protested critical race theory — despite the fact that the concept is not included in the district’s educational curriculum — and read aloud the Lord’s Prayer, before leaving the meeting in unison.
In the letter, clergy members — representing Christianity and Islam — said they were “appalled at the ways people addressed school board members, including shouting, swearing, and flouting board protocol.”
“We are especially dismayed that the Lord’s Prayer became a weapon, rather than the teaching of Jesus in the gospel according to Matthew,” the letter reads. “People shouting a Christian prayer in a school board meeting of a district that serves students of many religions, as well as no religion, goes against all these teachings.”
The letter goes on to say:
We are deeply concerned about how the people who spoke misunderstand the school district’s mission to provide every young person in Rochester with an education that enables them to think critically, evaluate evidence, and draw reasoned conclusions. These skills are vital to our community, nation, and world.
In particular, the crowd expressed fear and misinformation about critical race theory. Critical race theory is an understanding that who we are, the laws we have in place, the histories that have been handed down to us, have been shaped by race. It’s taught in law school and graduate school to adults. In our public schools, our kids deserve age-appropriate and accurate history lessons, helping them become the critical thinkers we need to make this a more just, prosperous and equitable country.
Our children must have the tools and guidance to honestly face and understand our past and present in order to create a better future. Fully funded, well-equipped, community-supported public schools are vital. We urge members of our community to reject fear, engage in critical thinking, and participate in respectful dialogue in order to strengthen our schools and community.
The letter was published on the website of ISAIAH, self-described as “a vehicle for congregations, clergy, and people of faith to act collectively and powerfully towards racial and economic equity in the state of Minnesota.”
In a recent interview with Med City Beat, new interim Superintendent Kent Pekel encouraged the public to be “cautious about lumping everyone who was in that room around a common opinion.”
He noted that there were “some folks who were quiet and chose not to speak because they felt that it was really a hostile environment. There were people who were angry, but not attacking. And then there were some people who were, you know, kind of personal.”
Cover photo: Screenshot / July 13 Rochester School Board meeting
