Residents of Trumbull speak out in anti-racist forum with US Senator Richard Blumenthal

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TRUMBULL – Trumbull resident Ellie Grosso described to US Senator Richard Blumenthal at an anti-racist forum Thursday what she saw at a recent Trumbull Board of Education meeting, where residents shouted angrily at the school administrators.

“They closed parts of the meeting,” Grosso said.

Grosso was referring to a July 13 school board meeting where residents and parents interrupted a presentation, criticizing both pandemic policies and a presentation from the State Education Resource Center, intended to take stock of the progress of a school committee on equity and social justice.

Those in attendance shouted a presentation when the word “whiteness” appeared on the screen, questioning the rationale for including this in the meeting.

The presentation focused on the three-part framework of the Courageous Conversation Protocol. Entitled “The Conditions”, it was a six-point list that included topics such as “Focus on what is personal, local and immediate” and “Use a working definition for the breed”.

Part 6, “Examining the Presence and Role of ‘Whiteness’” appeared to be causing a stir among a group of parents who attended the meeting to speak out against mask requirements in schools.

The incident comes at a time when many school districts are seeing growing opposition over race-related topics in the school curriculum.

Grosso and other Trumbull residents asked Blumenthal in a meeting Thursday for advice on how to counter opposition to teaching about racism and at the same time how to champion anti-racism causes.

Blumenthal admitted he didn’t know much about the recent Education Council meeting in Trumbull, but said he was ready to hear from residents. Yet he condemned any attempt to penalize educators.

“Teachers should never be punished for teaching history accurately and objectively,” said Blumenthal.

Other teachers present at the meeting echoed concerns that the recent meeting signaled increased pressure on school administrators to stop all teaching about historical and current racial injustices.

One participant criticized Grosso for his insistence that people of color experience racism. She also casually criticized the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which was effectively disbanded earlier last year due to criticism from the president equating the thin blue line flag with the flag. confederate.

Wayne Winston, an activist organizing the Zoom meeting, referred to a strategy by the National Rifle Association, which gave politicians letter ratings based on their commitment to gun rights. He said it would be a good idea to adopt a similar strategy for politicians who have engaged in anti-racist actions.

Grosso said the timing was urgent because of the importance it has to the city.

“We don’t have the luxury of saying ‘this is the Board of Education, we are not involved there.’ It affects everything in the city, ”she said.

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