Rochester, Minnesota has recently revealed itself to be at the forefront of the battle between parents and public education with regards to implementing Critical Race Theory (CRT) across various subjects in schools across the United States.
Rochester, which is located approximately 90 minutes southeast of Minneapolis and has a population of 115,000, recently held its semimonthly school board meeting, wherein parents weighed in on their thoughts regarding CRT. Hordes of concerned families and other stakeholders filled the meeting, which had initially been designed to focus on routine summer business.
However, the mass of attendees brought attention to troubling changes in the curriculum, including concepts related to CRT, Black Lives Matter (BLM), mandatory masks, and other far-left ideas.
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
In addition to the protest signs, numerous school board meeting attendees also adorned their automobiles with these signs, with Pro-Trump supporter Brian Braaten displaying signs that compare BLM to the Nazis. In addition, another protestor also decorated their SUV to appear like a SWAT van, which included a modification of Matthew 5:9 placed on the right rear window.
Based on the parking lot, it could be quite the school board meeting tonight pic.twitter.com/n28L1VjPNm
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
This is another car in the parking lot of the school board pic.twitter.com/clGnpya5qj
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
Per Jordan Shearer, a reporter, the meeting quickly devolved into standing room only, and various attendees began striding up to the podium during the “public comment period” of the meeting. Many attendees voiced explicit disapproval of the proposed leftist changes to the curriculum, and they preceded their commentary by chanting the United States Pledge of Allegiance in unison with one another.
Of the varied speakers, two women spoke fiercely against CRT and mandatory masks, respectively.
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
However, one of the most influential speakers was Wes Lund, who delivered a passionate speech to the school board. During his speech, Lunch claimed that “deep state characters” were present at the school board meeting, and he also stated that CRT proponents are inherent racists intent on creating divisions.
One of the most vocal members from the crowd before he had a chance at the podium himself pic.twitter.com/gFEFPY26h3
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
Lund proclaimed “that on no uncertain terms” opponents to both BLM and CRT “are not racist,” which was met with resounding applause. Lund also added that parents do not perceive themselves as superior to anyone else, and that they “value all lives and the rights of every person, whether or not we have the same level of melanin in our skin.”
Prior to departing from the meeting, the various attendees also recited the Lord’s Prayer.
Before leaving the meeting, the attendees recited the Lord’s Prayer.
Everyone was about to leave, and a member of the audience suggested reciting this before they left pic.twitter.com/Z5gmw91a3V
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 13, 2021
The school board meeting represents one of the first meetings for Ken Pekel, who is the new superintendent of Rochester Public Schools. Pekel spoke to reports after the meeting and effectively blew off the debate over CRT, claiming that the controversial ideology is “not even something being taught or even discussed right now in Rochester Public Schools.”
.@RPS535 Superintendent Kent Pekel talking about critical race Theory at Tuesday’s school board meeting pic.twitter.com/WkZedZhJkq
— Jordan Shearer (@Jmanassa) July 14, 2021
The next school board meeting for Rochester Public Schools will take place on July 27, though it is unclear whether or not the meeting will permit the public to attend.
In spite of the controversy aroused during the most recent school board meeting, the disruptions from the attendees are an excellent indicator of the majority of Americans’ viewpoints towards CRT. According to a poll conducted by YouGov and The Economist on June 16, 58 percent of respondents indicated either a “somewhat” or “very unfavorable” view of CRT.
The CRT ideology originates back to the 1970s, and its teachings were further magnified by Derrick Bell, a Harvard Law School professor, in the early 1990s. Bell’s lectures on CRT, which were attended by Barack Obama, examined the purported concept of “white privilege” while claiming that every single legal institution in America is inherently racist.
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