Parents are asking where the SAU16 DEIJ Director stands on political issues. Andres Mejia holds the position of Vice Chair on the board of Seacoast Black Lives Matter, and he serves as the DEIJ director in SAU16.
Parents have already criticized SAU16 for hostility aimed at Christian students, so what will Jewish students face? That’s what one parent is asking the school board. A parent sent the following emails to the SAU16 school board questioning Mejia’s intentions. This is fair since he is working in a public school, and paid with public dollars. Parents want to know if his views align with Black Lives Matter and what that means for Jewish families who reside in the district:
On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 10:42 AM
Dear SAU16, school board and administration,
Our nation just witnessed the greatest execution of Jewish people since the Holocaust. On October 7th, 2023, Hamas committed acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Families at SAU16 have received multiple emails from the administration regarding different tragic events. Why has there been silence from SAU16?
In Aug 2021 Andres Mejia who currently sits on the board of directors of Seacoast BLM stated, “I am black, and I can never separate myself from Black Lives Matter. ” I hope it’s time for Andres to separate himself from this group if he continues to teach in our public schools because there is a conflict of interest. The Chicago division of BLM just posted a picture of a Hamas terrorist flying into the concert in Israel and BLM as an organization has come out publicly stating, “We support Palestine.” BLM is an organization that has shown its true colors and has abandoned the Jewish population.
It’s a terrible time to be Jewish and it’s difficult to see the groups that many Jewish people have supported not be as vocal on their behalf. The Black Lives Matter Chicago and LA’s horrible support of Hamas is incredibly disturbing.
My niece is Jewish. Many Jewish children and families in schools across the nation are feeling unbelievably vulnerable. Hamas is a terrorist group that wants the extermination of Jewish people.
I will continue to teach my children that a Palestinian child’s life matters just as much as a Jewish child’s life. I want them to pray for peace and recognize that ALL lives matter…full stop.
The parents who had concerns about the way SAU 16 teaches diversity is valid. Teaching implicit bias is dangerous and at its worst DIEJ believes the world is separated into two groups, the oppressed and the oppressors. I will not accept those toxic narratives and reject it for my children. Sadly, look at what’s happing on college campuses, children have been taught to have a “us” versus “them” worldview and it’s wrong.
Many on this administration signed a paper stating, “the color of your skin matters to us.” I found that statement unbelievable. I teach my children what Martin Luther King preached, “It’s not about the color of your skin is about the continent of your character.” Anyone that signed that paper should face consequences.
So many of SAU 16’s policies the last few years will be devastating to children for generations. I can’t believe what’s happening in our public schools.
Thank you.
******
(edit: After I sent this SAU16 did send me their statement on the Israel/ Palestine conflict, although I never received it via email from the school. I did however receive one for Lewiston Maine.)
On Sat, Nov 4, 2023, 10:05 AM
Good morning SAU16, school board and administration,
Seacoast Black Lives Matter chapter posted, “Join us at the State House, LET GAZA LIVE, No more aid to Israel!” Thursday night at the State House they were chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “there is only one solution Intifada revolution!” The Anti-Defamation League defines these chants as antisemitic, they are calling for the extermination of Jewish people, the terminology is laced with genocidal, intent.
You can watch the video below. I know it says New Hampshire Youth Movement, however, Seacoast Black Lives Matter promoted and attended this event.
Andres Mejia holds the position as the Vice Chair on the board of Seacoast BLM and works in our schools as our DEIJ director. For many Jewish students, “never again,” is now. Antisemitic incidents have gone up 400% since October 7th.
I understand that this is a difficult time, however, I can’t imagine having a teacher in our schools allowed to be part of ANY organization where members are actively calling for genocide. Words matter. We must teach our children to pray for peace, pray for a cease-fire and pray for real solutions for Palestinians and Israeli’s.
I reject having DEIJ taught in our schools and the 6 billion dollar industry of Social Emotional Learning and its connection to failed Common Core. DEI urges students to embrace radical ideologies, including that people should be treated differently due to their race. We should prohibit school leaders from forcing teachers or students to accept the idea that they are guilty of prejudice just because of their skin color.
Sadly we are witnessing the repercussions take place on many college campuses.
Please do the right thing and have Andres step down from his position at BLM if he continues to work in our district.
I will close with these quotes;
Elie Wiesel, author of, “Night,” in his own words:
“No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.”
“Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.”
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”
“Someone who hates one group will end up hating everyone—and, ultimately, hating himself or herself.”
“In any society, fanatics who hate don’t only hate me—they hate you, too. They hate everybody.”
Thank you,
***
BLM has taken a definitive stand in support of Hamas by praising Hamas’s attack against Israel on October 7. https://www.newsweek.com/black-lives-matter-praises-hamas-sparks-backlash-1833630?fbclid=IwAR0_fRNXExrcF4Rd61x0X2asSDJm2SksSco7FgfUWEYeLWDUILIyUklNPPM
What is missing from BLM is any condemnation against the brutal attack. This was barbaric murders. Women were raped, and paraded around. Infants were taken from their parents, and the elderly were murdered live on Facebook. Raped and beaten women were being sat on and spit on.
How does any organization supposedly supporting human rights, ignore this attack?
BLM has stood for boycotting white-owned businesses https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/black-lives-matter-boycott-white-companies?fbclid=IwAR1aCS1xmzFWg3s4N_6xX0vlhDR70ooq892CVpNO1KacS2tZ4oXLOFAEJ1Y
Are these the views of SAU16’s DEIJ Director? Why is he not issuing a statement? Does BLM Seacoast speak on his behalf? If so, what does that mean for the Jewish families in the district? These are fair questions to ask when someone is hired but maintains a position on an extreme political organization.
Do Black Lives Matter? Absolutely, so does the lives of Jews and Palestinians. But BLM is an extreme political organization that represents an extreme political segment of society. Some of the BLM founders are Marxists like Alicia Garza. BLM: The Making of a New Marxist Revolution.
Much of their goal is to indoctrinate children into this extreme ideology. Parents are already questioning why 1st grade children in the district are scheduled to attend a field trip to meet with political activists this month.
BLM Seacoast didn’t condemn the attacks in Israel: https://www.facebook.com/blklivesmatterseacoast/ Why doesn’t Mejia simply issue a statement and condemn the attack? Is it so hard to stand up against that kind of violence and brutality?
The taxpayers pay his salary. Mejia is working directly with their children, and parents deserve to know who they are employing. A field trip for 1st graders to learn how to become political activists plays right into the playbook for BLM and political organizations attempting to influence young children.
A school focused on academic excellence teaches first graders social studies academic content. This district has prioritized political action over academic excellence for their students, and the decline in their proficiency scores reflect this change. Parents need to start asking themselves, do you want your child on a path to becoming a radical political activist, or do you want them educated so they can think for themself?
Take a look at what Core Knowledge includes in their scope and sequence for Social Studies. Scroll down to 1st grade to see what your child should be learning in Social Studies. A well educated child will have opportunities in life. A student who is indoctrinated in Marxism will need Marxism in the real world. A student who receives an excellent education won’t need Marx in the real world. Marxism is a utopia where opportunity is described as oppression. Marxists ignore historical data that shows that few people who work in low-wage jobs stay in them long, and move on to better jobs. Marxists have a disdain for the rich and middle class, and blames an unjust economy for the plight of the poor. But they never take into account dysfunctional behavior or bad choices that people make that prevents them from escape poverty.
Instead of refocusing their commitment to provide the students a quality education, they continue to dabble in political activism. This is why many families have left the district, and why other options are becoming attractive to parents who simply want their children to receive a quality education.
So what about the Jewish families in the district. Will Mejia remain silent and leave families to speculate, or will he do the right thing, and distance himself from such an extreme position BLM has taken?
