Schoolboard elections matter, and the Republicans know it.
When Karen Keys-Gamarra won election to the school board in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Tuesday, she and the Democrats scored a victory on multiple levels. Keys-Gamarra, an attorney and child advocate, deservedly won the election because she is more qualified than her Republican opponent—a fact which apparently led to her being labeled "arrogant" and I imagine "uppity" as well, given she's not just female, but a black female, and one who has dared to be educated and practice law. That in the wake of recent tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginians voted her in by a large margin (41,519 vs. 21,389) made her victory especially sweet. So much for "white supremacy." Yes, count this one as a significant win.
But don't let focusing on the race issue, critical though it is, be a distraction. I am reminded that the road from satisfaction to complacency is short. Don't go there. Stay alert. Celebrate, but don't let excitement cloud your vision.
Why? Because the far-right push to control school boards is all about creating long-term strategic advantage. It’s deliberate. It’s planned. And it’s not new, just showing its slimy face more brazenly. Now it's in the White House, and casting its net to include far more than text books and school boards.
In 1994, I lived in Marin County CA and was exploring cities in Oregon, considering a move (I chose Portland). In progressive Marin, I’d never even heard of a conservative Christian radio station; in my hotel in Bend OR, the only thing I could hear through the static on the clock radio in my hotel room was a multi-person discussion on a far-right Christian station. So as I put myself together for the day, I listened.
The subject? How best to “infiltrate” school boards across the nation so as to influence policy and design teaching curriculum. Their plan was not just about taking steps toward more representation in government—read political control—but also about helping children become adults that would live by and not question the beliefs and values—read ideology and propaganda—that the discussants and their ilk espoused. Their attempts to rewrite text books, they agreed, had not worked. Taking control of school boards, they’d decided, was a better way to go.
The discussion was very disturbing. I found the use of the word “infiltrate” ominous. I felt the same thing about their self-righteous attitudes. They were evangelical Christians, proudly self-identified as such and so-called at least by their peers, and therefore their ideas and actions were blessed by God. End of story.
I also sensed that these were people who are very, very patient. Keep in mind, this was 1994, when Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed and their Christian Coalition of America was gaining in political clout after years of right-wing Christians struggling for prominence; remember Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority?
The Republicans, opportunists all, were building their base. And now look where we are. What has come to pass is no accident. Trump and the racists who rally around him have simply capitalized on the racism on which the religious far-right movement in America is based. As I said, opportunists all.
When I returned to Marin after my trip and shared what I'd experienced with friends, I mentioned my concerns about what I'd heard that morning in Bend. "Oh, this country has always had fringe groups like that, "most responded in various words. There was nothing to be concerned about, my friends assured me.
But I was concerned.
I still am. I have never forgotten that conversation. My intuition told me it was naive to assume such groups represent no significant threat to our democracy.
Is this the same mistake the German people made when Hitler was making his way to power? Does opening the door to tyranny start so innocently? Perhaps nothing more is required than for people to hold an idealistic, and maybe smug, assumption that "it can't happen here" because our democracy is too strong, our people too good. Or maybe people merely need imagine that such groups are supported only by extremists and must be so small they could never gain any power. Or perhaps apathy is enough. Disinterest. People simpy have "more important" things to do and think about.
One problem is that for some, capitalism reigns supreme, not democracy. Nationalism breeds we-versus-they contempt. And just in case any of you aren't sure if we are facing a very real threat of fascism, take a look at the characteristics of fascism developed by Lawrence K. Britt in his 2003 article Fascism, Anyone? (A few have questioned if all of his points are actually representative of fascism or threats of another kind, but even with a dose of skepticism, you probably get the point.)
There are those who see the quest for power-over and limitless wealth as the only goals worthy of respect. For them, it's all about winning versus losing and okay to make a buck by any means and at anyone's expense.
There are also those who assert America was founded on Christian beliefs and values. To such people, other religions are "foreign"and not to be trusted. Our nation, they believe, should be governed as a theocracy.
And as what recently happened in Charlottesville made abundantly clear—as if events haven't been demonstrating it so already—there are many, even in 2017, who insist that white equals right and that Jews are the source of all evil.
The scary thing is, all these kinds of people are, right now, in or associated with the White House.
Don't let anyone tell you there is nothing to be concerned about.
Don't fail to ask questions. Be informed and stay up-to-date.
Don't be silent.
Resist!