A response to Mahomet Seymour School Board member Jeremy Henrich:
You cited the Declaration of Independence, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, …]’. You then stated that because equality was endowed by our creator, it is proof that equality exists. You believe that because God created all people equally, that all people also believe in the inherent value of each other. If this was true, racism would not exist. Clearly, this is not the reality of our society today.
Overt acts of racism are certainly hateful and would easily be considered ‘evil’. However, most racism presents more covertly than that. Systemic racism and implicit bias primarily operate just below the surface, completely undetectable in some situations, and painfully obvious in others. These are more subtle forms of racism that can more easily be ignored by people like you, those who solely want to focus on ‘values and ideals’. You felt criticized by the words used in the anti-racism resolution: implicit bias, systemic racism, power, and privilege. You can be offended, but it does not mean they aren’t applicable.
‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ was your proposed solution, to address racism in the Mahomet Seymour school district. This is woefully inadequate! The systems we have today were created by white people in power, to benefit white people. Unless the white people in positions of power (i.e. you and the board) do something concrete to address the built-in inequities, there can be no systemic changes.”
Michelle Matthews
