We have fought long and hard to oppose the teaching of Critical Race Theory and all its related curriculum in our classrooms. I want to thank you for the protests and the emails sent and phone calls made to many of our elected representatives so far. But we are not done. While HB324 – Ensuring Dignity & Nondiscrimination in Schools is still being debated in the NC Senate, our Craven County Board of Commissioners is moving forward with a resolution. At the last commissioners’ meeting on July 19th, Commissioner Denny Bucher introduced a resolution opposing Critical Race Theory and asked that a public hearing and a vote be held at the August 2nd meeting. The August 2nd meeting will be at 7pm at the New Bern River Front Convention Center. I want you to show up and speak in support of the resolution. You may also enter written comments into the public record by emailing your comments to the county clerk. Her email is at the bottom of this email. To read the proposed resolution click here. If you need to review the CRT primer I sent out earlier this year, please review it here. Just like we did with the resolution to make the school board elections by party, I also want you to fill their in-boxes (and to fill the county clerk’s in-box) with statements in support of the resolution. I want them to not be able to sleep. I want them to have to shut off their phones because they keep ringing with your emails to pass this resolution. Our children’s and our grandchildren’s educational future depends on it. I need you to forward this email at least twice –  to the county clerk and your commissioner. But I would prefer you send it to all of them including the Board of Education Chairman and the Superintendent. All their email addresses are at the end of this email. Please feel free to add your own comments but here is the beginning of an email to get you started: ___________________________________________________________ Dear Commissioner,  I am writing to you to express my support for the RESOLUTION OPPOSING DIVISIVE THEORIES, SUCH AS “CRITICAL RACE THEORY”, “ACTION CIVICS” AND “THE 1619 PROJECT” . The fostering of positive race relations is critical to the functioning of a diverse racial community.  We believe that substantial progress has been made since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, not only locally, but throughout the United States.  This progress has in large part been facilitated by focusing on what Dr. Martin Luther King proclaimed in calling for a society where people would be judged not by the “color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  We must continue to foster this progress. The introduction of “Critical Race Theory” and “the 1619 project” into public school instruction is antithetical to the goal stated by Dr. King and threatens to undermine racial harmony and movement towards a color-blind society that guarantees equal opportunity for all. This curriculum is not instructional nor historically accurate but instead appears being politically motivated and an attack upon our country and Constitutional values. These curriculums will be very destructive to the children in our public schools. Recent articles in the Sun Journal narrowly define CRT as the legal theory that promotes the idea that we have systemic racism in our institutions that marginalizes minorities. They choose to ignore the fact that the broader curriculum of equity focuses on race and equal outcomes rather than focusing on equality and equal opportunity. It also ignores the State Board of Education’s changed social studies standards emphasizing there are still oppressed and oppressor classes in the United States even though slavery was eradicated here well over a century ago while ignoring our civil rights progress. So while the Craven BOE and superintendent claim to not teach CRT, they are embracing the broader curriculum that will divide our community along racial lines and I oppose their efforts. Please vote yes on this resolution.  Thank you,   ___________________________________________________________       Chairman Jason Jones  jjones@cravencountync.gov Vice Chairman Denny Bucher  dbucher@cravencountync.gov Commissioner Tom Mark  tmark@cravencountync.gov Commissioner Bea Smith  beatrice.smith@cravencountync.gov Commissioner ET Mitchell  emitchell@cravencountync.gov Commissioner Theron McCabe  tmccabe@cravencountync.gov Commissioner George Liner  gliner@cravencountync.gov   Statement for the public record: nholton@cravencountync.gov    Board of Education Chairman Francis Boomer franceshboomer@gmail.com Craven County Schools Superintendent Dr. Wendy Miller wendy.miller@craven.org