Category: Race/Racism

Keep an Eye on the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Board of Education
by Amy Barrett

You may have seen articles about hundreds of books being banned in Florida and photos of empty classroom bookshelves in Manatee County. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claims that books are being removed from school libraries because they are “pornographic, violent, or inappropriate.” In reality, dozens of books are being banned because they touch on LGBTQ+ themes, include protagonists of color, portray the ugliness of racism, or even discuss climate change. Closer to home, books with LGBTQ+ themes have been challenged in Central Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

You might think this couldn’t happen here in New Jersey, where we have a Democratic governor and state legislature. Unfortunately, it is already happening here. Members of extremist groups such as Moms for Liberty are filing complaints against books and school librarians, railing against sex education curriculum and equity in education policies at school board meetings. They’re running for board of education seats – and winning since so few people actually follow school board candidates.

I am a member of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Intellectual Freedom Fighters (more about us later). My family has lived in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees area for 35 years, and the events in that district is first of a series focusing on similar activities in our area schools.

Book Banning

In September 2021, during Banned Books Week, a parent complained at a board of education about two LGBTQ+ themed books in the North Hunterdon High School library: Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison and Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe. She also mentioned North Hunterdon librarian Martha Hickson by name, accusing her and
the board members of “grooming our kids” and promoting “child pornography.” Soon complaints were made against three additional LGBTQ+ themed books.

Martha Hickson was harassed with hate-filled emails and attempts to file criminal charges against her with the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s office and local police department. Hickson’s doctor put her on medical leave due to stress-induced physical and emotional issues. Within a few weeks, however, she returned – reenergized with a mission to save the books and support the students who needed them.

Many members of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees community—students, alumni, parents, friendly colleagues—supported Hickson and spoke at board meetings in favor of keeping the books. They revived a community group called the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Intellectual Freedom Fighters (NHVIFF), which had been formed two years earlier, when the superintendent tried to remove Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home from the school libraries. This time, school policy required that a committee be appointed to review the challenged books. The committee recommended keeping four of the five books, without providing much detail on why the fifth book, This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, should be removed. Students spoke out in defense of this book, and in January 2022, a board majority voted to keep all five books.

For her efforts in preventing censorship, supporting librarians under attack by censors, and raising public awareness of book banning, Martha Hickson was awarded the American Library Association’s Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity and the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Judith Krug Outstanding Librarian
award.

Racist Videos

In 2021, LGBTQ+ students spoke about how they felt marginalized by book-banning efforts at North Hunterdon. In 2023, black students told their stories of experiencing racism at the school. Several videos, showing students at North using racial slurs, were circulated among the student body. During the almost hour-long public comments segment of the February 28 board of education meeting, a young black man who recently graduated from North described his wrestling teammates parading around the locker room in towels wrapped as KKK hoods after competing against an all-black team. A young woman was reduced to tears as she repeated some of the names she has been called at school. All speakers agreed that the school’s letter to parents about one video and unspecified disciplinary action were not enough. The board promised to form a committee of community stakeholders, including students, to make recommendations on how to change the culture.

2022 BOE Election

Defeat of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees book-banning attempt was not the end of the story. Some of the same people (or their spouses) who spoke in support of banning books ran for the North Hunterdon-Voorhees board of education in November 2022. Their official “Education with Purpose” platform was “transparency” between school and
parents, “parental rights,” and the “safety” of all children, but their comments on Facebook pages such as NJ Fresh-Faced Schools refer to critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ themed books as “pedophilia” and “filth.” Their Facebook comments were more concerned with curriculum standards that “discriminate against whites” than with actual racism directed toward black students at school, and their concern for “parental rights” was only for the rights of parents who shared their extremist views.

Two of these candidates were defeated, but a third, Nicole Gallo (representing Lebanon Township and High Bridge), was elected to the North Hunterdon-Voorhees board. Gallo, who wore a Mom’s for Liberty t-shirt to one board meeting before she was elected, spoke at a board meeting last summer where she called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion curriculum “ racist ” because it “excludes white males.” Based on last year’s votes on book banning, Gallo has some allies on the 12-person board, though not a majority.

As voters, we need to stay vigilant and involved. We need to know who is running for our local and regional boards of education. North Hunterdon-Voorhees area residents need to be informed voters when four seats (Califon/Tewksbury, Clinton Town/Franklin Township/Glen Gardner, and two seats representing Clinton Township./Lebanon Borough) come up for election in November 2023.
What Can I Do?

If you live or work or attended school in Hunterdon County and care about these issues, what can you do?
- Attend board meetings regularly. A once-a-month meeting is not a major time
  commitment.
- Speak at board meetings. Speak about your commitment to racial justice or soli–
  darity with LGBTQ+ students or support for students’ right to read. Or just thank
  the board members (if the majority are not extremists) for their continuing com–
  mitment to these issues. You can be brief (20 seconds to 3 minutes), and you
  can read something you wrote in advance if you aren’t comfortable with extempo–
  raneous speaking.
- Be aware of who is representing your town on the board and their position on
  these issues. BOE elections are important, not just an afterthought at the bottom
  of the ballot. Be skeptical of “parents rights,” “students first,” and “transparency”
  rhetoric. Vote knowledgeably. Contact groups such as North Hunterdon
  Voorhees Intellectual Freedom Fighters, Action Together New Jersey, or even
  the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee for candidate recommendations
  (though not all moderate candidates will affiliate as Democrats).
- Run for the board of education in your town or regional high school district if
  there is an open seat or if the incumbent has values different from your own.
March 21, 2023
We can’t get to equality if we don’t teach Black history | Article by George O’Connor

Founded in 1906, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma was one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the United States, and was nicknamed “Black Wall Street.” However, on May 31, 1921, the community became the target of two days of racial violence, resulting in 300 deaths, 800 injuries, and the destruction of 35 city blocks, leaving 9,000 homeless. The community never recovered, and the survivors and their families never received reparations. Despite the devastating effects, the event was largely unknown to white Americans – and even many Black Americans – until it was portrayed in the first episode of the HBO series Watchmen, premiering nearly a century later. Even showrunner Damon Lindelof did not learn about it until a few years before writing the series.

TV shows like Watchmen are picking up the pieces in covering black history because the American school system has failed to do so. Oklahoma schools weren’t required to teach about the Tulsa massacre until 2002. In 1996, Chris Rock famously joked about how he once failed a Black history class, saying “When you go to white schools you learn about Europe up the ass, but you don’t learn that much about Africa… All I learned in school about being Black was Martin Luther King.” According to Education Week, “Since January 2021, 44 states have introduced bills or taken other steps that would restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism… [of which] Eighteen states have imposed these bans and restrictions either through legislation or other avenues.”

Meanwhile, even schools that do teach Black history usually do it poorly. An analysis by Johns Hopkins University found that coursework often “emphasizes the negative aspects of African-American life while omitting important contributions made by people of color in literature, politics, theology, art, and medicine… Lessons will typically cover slavery and the Civil Rights movement, but omit the Harlem Renaissance, the sociology of the Great Migration, and some of the most important novels of the 20th century.”

Ashley Rogers Berner, director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, said that the teachers of these courses lack the resources to adequately cover these topics, often resorting to using Google, Pinterest, and the online marketplace Teachers Pay Teachers. The institute evaluated the English curriculum of various schools in Baltimore – the population of which is 62.4% black – and reported “36% of your secondary school texts are about the African-American experience, but the majority of them are about police brutality and incarceration… You’ve got representation; that’s not the problem. The problem is the tone and the quality and the omissions.”

Educators have also pointed out that curriculums often omit the thriving empires Africans inhabited before they were enslaved by colonizers. American history professor Daina Ramey Berry said “Those that populated the colonies were free people from communities in Africa with large scale civilizations that had tax systems, that had irrigation systems, that had universities – they came from civilized nations that were advanced. That’s where the curriculum should begin, that’s the biggest omission from my perspective. It’s an erasure of culture and heritage so that identities of African Americans for some are that of slaves and those fighting for their freedom.”

Educators like Berry have also criticized the lack of coverage of the Jim Crow laws passed by white politicians that created a racial apartheid from 1877 to the civil rights movement in the 1960s, banning African Americans from voting, attending the same schools as whites, and buying real estate in white neighborhoods. Courses also don’t cover the racial violence inflicted on prospering Black communities during Jim Crow, such as Tulsa or a similar attack waged in Ocoee, Florida the prior year. Florida schools were not required to teach the Ocoee massacre until 2020.

Professor LaGarrett King said it was important to teach about June 19, 1865, called Juneteenth, the day slaves in Texas were first informed they were freed, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. He said “What is historically important to white people is not historically important to Black people. July 4, 1776, means nothing historically to Black people.” However, Juneteenth is not widely taught in schools, and in 2020, the Harris Poll found that 48% of Americans were mostly or completely unaware of the holiday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is among the most vocal and active opponents of teaching Black history in schools. In 2022, DeSantis signed into law the Stop WOKE Act, which, among other things, restricted how racism could be taught in the state’s schools. That same year, the College Board introduced its first Advanced Placement course on African-American studies that was set to be implemented in about 60 high schools beginning that fall. Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who served as a consultant for the project, said “These are milestones which signify the acceptance of a field as being quote-unquote ‘academic’ and quote-unquote ‘legitimate.’” The Florida Department of Education rejected the new AP course in early 2023, and shortly after, the College Board significantly reduced the course’s content, including removing “the names of many Black writers and scholars associated with critical race theory, the queer experience and Black feminism.”

DeSantis was himself a history teacher at the private Darlington School in Rome, Georgia for one year, after he graduated from Yale but before he attended Harvard Law School. In 2022, a black former student of his alleged that “in history class, he was trying to play devil’s advocate that the South had good reason to fight [the Civil War], to kill other people, over owning people – Black people. He was trying to say, ‘It’s not OK to own people, but they had property, businesses.’” Another student claimed that DeSantis’ defense of the Confederacy was so widely known among students that he became the subject of satirical videos.

DeSantis and many other conservative politicians and activists claim that teaching America’s history of racism would instill in young minds a hatred of their country. However, CRT scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw said being open about this history simply teaches Americans to “pay attention to what has happened in this country, and how what has happened in this country is continuing to create differential outcomes so we can become that country that we say we are… [CRT] is not anti-patriotic. In fact, it’s more patriotic than those who are opposed to it because we believe in the 13th and the 14th and the 15th amendment[s]. We believe in the promises of equality, and we know we can’t get there if we can’t confront and talk honestly about inequality.”

March 21, 2023
A Reading and Podcast List for Allies Who Want to Do Better – *wbur
If you’ve read any of these books or listened to a podcast, leave a comment by way of review. Willing to exchange your books? Put a notice in the comments or on the ILNH Facebook page about what you’ve read and what you’d like to read.

Books: Click on the titles for more information:
- ‘The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in The Age of Colorblindness’ – Michelle Alexander
- ‘Parable of the Sower‘ Octavia Butler
- ‘So You Want To Talk About Race‘ – Ijeoma Oluo
- ‘This Bridge Called My Back‘ – Writings by Radical Feminists of Color
- ‘Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations about Race‘ – Beverly Daniel Tatum
- ‘We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide‘ – Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden
- ‘White Fragility‘ – Robin DiAngelo
- ‘How To Be An Antiracist‘ – Ibram X. Kendi
- ‘God’s Bits of Wood‘ – Ousmane Sembène
- ‘They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South‘ – Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
Podcasts
- ‘Code Switch‘
- ‘Still Processing‘
- ‘The Daily‘
- ‘1619‘
- ‘Pod Save the People‘
*wbur is the National Public Radio affiliate in the Boston area
July 10, 2020

Liberty and Justice for All: A Statement from Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope Leadership…and a Request

It’s not enough to say we are heartbroken by the events that led up to the BLM protests and that continue to harm and harass people of color. It’s not enough to post supportive memes and click “like” “sad” or “angry” on social media posts that make statements about the injustices that have disadvantaged one group of people in favor of another group. It’s not enough to pray for peace or healing.
But when you’ve had enough, how do you follow through with actions that truly enable durable, systemic change?
Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope believes our communities are stronger when all voices are heard. As activists, we endeavor to fight for fairness and equality. Often that means educating ourselves and our constituents about the experiences of others who may live next door but are a world apart from our daily lives. Frequently, it’s making people aware of government actions or proposed legislation and urging them to contact elected and appointed officials. And sometimes, it’s taking that fight into the streets.
Millions of people have taken and are taking the fight for equity for Black, Indigenous and/or People Of Color (BlPOC) to the streets of towns and cities – not only in the U.S., but in countries across the globe. As the chain link wall went up around the People’s House in Washington, others joined the process of tearing walls down.
We heard voices of pain and anger. We heard cries for the freedom to live like those who take their freedom for granted every single day. We heard strength in songs and poetry, and saw joy and pride in moments both large and small.
For the most part, however, we have been observers even as we applaud your victories. So we commit to learn what we don’t know. We were shocked and motivated when our Civil Rights action group opened our eyes to the New Jim Crow, to Witness to Innocence, to community leaders working against racism and preserving black history in our own backyards. But it’s not enough – there’s so much more to do.
As a community-driven organization, we offer our platform to people and groups that will speak to us about hopes, needs and solutions. We commit to listen, discuss and collaborate about what we need to do in our homes, communities and on the larger stage to build a more just and equal world.
We commit to examining our role in white supremacy and engaging in anti-racist work. It is our desire to be good allies. For those individuals and organizations already engaged in this work, we ask that you point out our blind spots. Call on us and call us out – we will show up for you and amplify your voice with our passion and our energy.
For BlPOC in our community who have thought ILNH is too white, too middle class, too same in its make-up; we agree. While equity and inclusiveness are core to our mission and our values, we believe that our efforts have not sufficiently represented those values. We are committed to learn and assess and explore how our privilege and lack of understanding prevents BlPOC from feeling that ILNH is a place they can comfortably call home.
So while we have missed the mark, please know that today we commit to try harder and to do better moving forward. We want to be clear: You are valued here. Your ideas and perspectives are important for us to build the organization we strive to be. Let’s create the community that may not exist today, but can when we work together and authentically live our mission and values.
To all: Please join us. We need to do the hard work of building understanding, of tearing down chain-link fences that shut people out and of creating spaces that are safe for everyone. Because if there was ever a time when actions need to speak louder than words, it’s now.
Reach out to us at info@ilnhclone.indivisible.blue with comments, information, organizations that want to join hands. Visit our website to learn more about ILNH’s mission and values, read our newsletter and learn more about our organization.

Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope Leadership Team

Cindi Sternfeld

Susan Shapiro

Elaine Clisham

Sarah Gold

Karen Mitchell

Nancy Boelter

MaryJane Legere

John Woods

Elycia Lerman

Deb Kline

Liz McGill Peer

Shara Durkee

Cynthia Jahn

Paige Barnett

June 19, 2020

Because Black Lives Matter – Join the fight to end systemic racism!
Lambertville and surrounding communities are predominantly white, and it is our responsibility to hold ourselves accountable for unconscious discrimination and biases, and to recognize the system of privileges that has advantaged one race over others. To that end, Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope is launching an initiative to develop and promote ongoing actions that serve to end systemic racism. Several projects are already under way, with more to come.
- On Juneteenth, the Garden of Remembrance and Reflection was dedicated at the York Street Park on the corner of York and George Streets in Lambertville. Created by a group of local artists, the garden is a space for people Created by a group of local artists, the garden is a space for people to to reflect on the topics of grievance
  and healing, and to contemplate how to end systemic racism. Visit the installation as it evolves through July 19th.
- A “Say Their Names” pledge and graphic can be downloaded and printed to hang in windows, on doors or on porches to demonstrate your active commitment to work against systemic racism. The graphic includes a QR code which, when scanned, will feature online resources such as recommended books and organizations that help support awareness and educate ourselves.
- The ILNH Civil Rights action group will be rolling out additional actions focused on education, artworks, local, state and federal government and legislative actions and much more over the coming months. Want to get involved? Contact MJ Legere, Shara Durkee or Cynthia Jahn
Right-click below to “Save image as” on your computer, then print.

Credit: Alexis Berends
June 19, 2020