Fargo School Board rejects Pledge of Allegiance
Written by Catrin Wigfall OF Center For The American Experiment
Fargo school board rejects Pledge of Allegiance
The Fargo School Board voted Tuesday 7-2 to stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance
at the beginning of its school board meetings, ruling that
it didn’t align with the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion priorities.
School Board Meeting August 9, 2022 -
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zop9Co8bKw&list=PLA5_PwL-eYqJ5R_pMQKOJx1rva2oMPCE1>
“The board reciting the Pledge runs counter to our district’s philosophy,” said
board vice president Seth Holden, who introduced the motion to rescind recitation.
“Given that the word ‘God’ in the text of the Pledge of Allegiance is
capitalized…the text is clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian God, and
therefore it does not include any other faiths such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism.”
Holden stated that the “exclusion” of these faiths “automatically makes the
Pledge of Allegiance a non-inclusionary act,” which “runs counter to our
philosophy at FPS” [Fargo Public Schools].
Holden continued by stating that “there is text within the Pledge of Allegiance
that is just simply not true,” calling attention to the lines “one nation under
God” and “one nation with liberty and justice for all.”
The statement that we are “one nation under God” is the Judeo-Christian
God…is simply an untrue statement. We are one nation under many or no gods.
…
It is also an indisputable fact, and it’s a fact that hopefully we all can
agree on, that not all U.S. citizens have liberty and justice, which is
stated in the Pledge, therefore, making the line “one nation with liberty
and justice for all” an untrue statement.
Holden added that he is “aware what the Pledge of Allegiance means” for many,
but that it is also a “constant reminder of a lack of liberty and a lack of
justice and constant feeling of exclusion.”
Board member Robin Nelson voted to keep saying the Pledge of Allegiance,
pointing out that “nobody is forcing you to say anything…but please don’t deny
me that right.”
Nelson called the discussion a “distraction,” and that the board needs to “focus
on our kids and our education.”
School board president Dr. Tracie Newman voted against reciting the Pledge of
Allegiance, stating that because the issue is “politically charged and divisive”
she wasn’t sure it is a “useful way to begin every one of our board meetings.”
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