Seth Udinski, FISM News
A school board in Vermont elected to continue flying a “Black Lives Matter” flag on its school grounds on Tuesday, continuing a trend in the district and in districts nationwide since the death of George Floyd in May of 2020. The Essex County School Board passed the resolution in a 6-3 vote, with over 500 students signing a petition in support of the move.
As evidenced by the petition, many are in support of this action, including students who believe that flying the BLM flag is an act of love and goodwill. One student said:
It’s about inclusiveness. It’s about letting the Black and brown people of your community know that they’re seen and they’re loved and they’re vital.
The action, however, angered many who believe the school is inappropriately pushing an agenda based on critical race theory. Reports indicate that several people excused themselves from the meeting in protest of the decision. One man at the meeting said:
I’m coming to you today, not as a Black man but as a human being first. There’s a difference between being victimized and having a victim mentality and that flag and what that organization represents is a victim mentality.
Another questioned the messaging the flag declared to the students of the district:
What are we teaching our children? Communism is OK? That Black lives are better than White lives and if you don’t support it you’re a racist?