Students at George School Create a Muslim Prayer Space in Quaker Meeting House. “We believe there is God in everyone.”

A record number of U.S. adults – 5.6% – identify as LGBTQ, an increase propelled by a younger generation staking out its presence in the world, a poll released Wednesday shows.

The survey by Gallup marks more than a 1 percentage point jump from the last poll in 2017 in which 4.5% of adults identified as LGBTQ.

The estimated 18 million adults who identify as LGBTQ represent a continued upward trajectory since Gallup started tracking identification in 2012, Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones said.

“It reflects what we are seeing in society and the way society is changing,” he said.

One of the biggest headlines in the 2020 poll is the emergence of Generation Z adults, those 18 to 23: 1 in 6, or 15.9%, identify as LGBTQ. In each older generation, LGBTQ identification is lower, including 2% or less of respondents born before 1965.

Among LGBTQ adults, a majority or 54.6% identify as bisexual, the poll shows. About a quarter, or 24.5%, identify as gay; 11.7% as lesbian; 11.3% as transgender.

Generation Z again leads the way: 72% who identify as LGBTQ say they are bisexual.

There are gender differences as well:

• Women are more likely than men to identify as LGBTQ (6.4% vs 4.9%.)

• Women are more likely to identify as bisexual than men (4.3% vs 1.8%.)

Please REGISTER if you are interested in attending a Zoom meeting on Thursday, March 11, at 7:30 PM, to celebrate/commemorate the passage of Newtown Township's "Love is Love" Resolution in support of LGBTQ + minority youth on March 11, 2020 (read "Newtown Township Passes Revised Love is Love Resolution").

Although it took several tries and a modified version to get a resolution passed, I believe the process raised awareness and educated the public regarding the unique trials and tribulations of LGBTQ + minority youth.

The goal of this Zoom meeting is to continue to raise awareness. Several activists and students (see below) will be guest speakers, many of whom will tell their personal stories of being bullied, harassed, and discriminated against because of their race and/or gender identity.

Invited Speakers include:

• Marianne Alt - Kidsbridge Tolerance Center
• Kevin L Antoine, JD - Chief Diversity Equity Inclusion Officer at Bucks County Community College 
• Council Rock and George School students
• Karen Downer, President of the Bucks County NAACP
• Kristin Mallon - sponsor of the Council Rock North School Gay Straight Alliance
• Marlene Pray – founder and director of the Rainbow Room
• Others TBD

REGISTER NOW!

This meeting is being hosted by John Mack, a Newtown Township Supervisor. It is NOT a Newtown public meeting and attendance is not guaranteed. The opinions expressed here are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity.

A 35-year-old Newtown attorney and LGBTQ+ influencer has launched a new national database with legal and fertility resources for families.

Last week, Gena Jaffe announced to her followers that Connecting Rainbows was live. Within 48 hours of that Instagram post, Jaffe received nearly 200 requests for legal assistance.

The database provides a list of experts in the U.S. and Canada who are experienced in the adoption process for LGBTQ+ families, which can often be cumbersome, Jaffe said.

For example, Jaffe and her wife have had two children through reciprocal IVF, which allows both partners to participate biologically in a pregnancy. Her wife still had to go through the process of adopting the children, however, to ensure she would maintain parental rights.

"What people don't know is a birth certificate is just a piece of paper. It doesn't hold any weight in other states," she said. "For same sex couples, it's a very important step to take to ensure your parental rights are covered to protect your family."

Prior to her new venture, Jaffe was a corporate lawyer in New York City, writing up contracts and securities litigation, oftentimes for female small business entrepreneurs. It's the city where she met her wife and they eventually decided to move to Newtown, near Jaffe's childhood hometown of Langhorne.

By sharing her story and those of other same sex couples who have been through the fertility and legal adoption process, she hopes more LGBTQ+ parents can make well-informed decisions.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading legal advocacy nonprofit, identified 838 hate groups operating across the country in 2020, down from 940 documented hate groups in 2019 and a record high 1,020 hate groups in 2018.

The group's "hate map" shows extremist groups are active in nearly all U.S. states. Pennsylvania had 36 active groups, the same number as in 2019. Only four states - California (72), Florida (68), Texas (54) and New York (37) had more.

The Pennsylvania hate groups include:

1. ACT for America, Anti-Muslim, Pittsburgh.
2. American Defense Skinheads., Franklin.
3. Racist Skinhead, statewide.
4. American Family Association Anti-LGBTQ, Franklin.
5. American Freedom Union, White Nationalist, Hampton Township.
6. Antelope Hill Publishing, White Nationalist, Quakertown.
7. Asatru Folk Assembly, Neo-Völkisch, statewide.
8. Blood and Honour Social Club, Racist Skinhead, statewide
9. Catholic Apologetics International, Radical Traditional Catholicism. Greencastle.
10. Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust, General Hate, York.
11. DNVF Records, Hate Music, Shawnee on Delaware.
12. East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire, Ku Klux Klan, statewide.
13. Firm 22, Racist Skinhead, statewide.
14. L. Mencken Club, White Nationalist, Elizabethtown.
15. House of Israel, General Hate, Philadelphia.
16. International Conservative Community, White Nationalist, statewide.
17. Israel United In Christ, 2 chapters General Hate, Turtle Creek, Philadelphia.
18. Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge, 2 chapters General Hate, Upper Darby, Pittsburgh.
19. Keystone United, Racist Skinhead, statewide.
20. Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Ku Klux Klan, statewide.
21. Nation of Islam, 2 chapters General Hate, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia.
22. National Alliance, Neo-Nazi, statewide.
23. National Justice Party, White Nationalist, Butler.
24. National Socialist Liberation Front, Neo-Nazi, statewide.
25. National Socialist Movement, Neo-Nazi, statewide.
26. Patriot Front, White Nationalist, statewide.
27. Proud Boys, General Hate, Philadelphia.
28. Revolutionary Black Panther Party, General Hate, Philadelphia.
29. Soldiers of Odin, Anti-Muslim, statewide.
30. The Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ, General Hate, Pittsburgh.
31. The Right Stuff, White Nationalist, statewide.
32. The Shoebat Foundation, Anti-Muslim, Newtown.
33. United Nuwaupians Worldwide, The/All Eyes on Egipt, General Hate, Philadelphia.
34. Wolves of Vinland, Neo-Völkisch, statewide.

In the last decade, high-profile police killings — including George Floyd in 2020 — have shaken the nation and led to widespread protests and calls for reform, including hiring more nonwhite and female officers.

But there was little research to back that up. Now, a new study published Thursday in the journal Science, suggests that diversity in law enforcement can indeed lead to improvements in how police treat people of color.

“It’s a system that very clearly needs reforming,” said study co-author Dean Knox, an assistant professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “We just haven’t had good data on what reforms work.”

For the paper, Knox and his colleagues analyzed data on nearly 3 million Chicago Police Department patrol assignments. They found that compared to white officers, Black and Hispanic officers made far fewer stops and arrests — and used force less often — especially against Black civilians. They also found female officers used less force than their male counterparts.

Eventually, the team amassed data on 1.6 million enforcements — such as stops and arrests — by nearly 7,000 officers from 2012 to 2015.

By comparing officers working in similar areas, researchers noticed a difference across demographics. Relative to white officers on the same assignments in the same neighborhoods, Black officers were less likely to stop, arrest, and use force against civilians.

Over the course of 100 shifts, Black officers made, on average, about 16 fewer stops and two fewer arrests — a 20% to 30% reduction compared to white officers in comparable scenarios.

“We see two groups of officers going out, and they’re treating the same group of civilians differently,” Knox said. “It’s troubling.”

This disparity was most pronounced in majority-Black neighborhoods, researchers found, and was predominantly focused on minor crimes and not violent offenses.

The new study has its limitations.

Since the data was collected from 2012 to 2015, it doesn’t capture recent changes to policing in Chicago. The paper also doesn’t account for the department’s internal culture, which influences how recruits behave in the field.

And, as a case study of Chicago, the paper is not automatically generalizable to the country’s more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies, especially suburban and rural ones.

Still, the findings support what local community activists have argued for decades.

University of Wisconsin-Madison's police chief has banned officers from using "Thin Blue Line" imagery while on duty.

Chief Kristen Roman informed officers of the ban in a Jan. 15 email that was made public this week.

The department faced criticism in November over a photo posted to its Twitter account that showed a "Thin Blue Line" flag displayed at the police department's office.

The "Thin Blue Line" flag, which resembles an American flag but has a blue stripe, is a sign of support for law enforcement but has also come to signal opposition to the racial justice movement and a symbol of white supremacy or support for the Blue Lives Matter cause.

Roman said that the flag has been "co-opted" by extremists with "hateful ideologies" in the promotion of their views that "run counter" to the department's "core values" and that it impedes "our efforts to build trust."

"Guided by our core values, my responsibility to ensure your safety as best I'm able, and by what I believe in my heart is the right thing to do under present circumstances, I am moved to enact specific measures to distance UWPD from the thin blue line imagery and the fear and mistrust that it currently evokes for too many in our community," she wrote.

Several offensive emails were sent from a student's email account to high school students and staff members in the district.

In an email to Council Rock families, Superintendent Robert Fraser said the district has turned the matter over to local police.

"We are operating on extremely limited information at this time, and I ask everyone to reserve forming any conclusions until this matter can be fully investigated," Fraser said. "Regardless of the results of this investigation, I am sorry that many of you have received such an offensive email. The Council Rock School District takes this matter seriously, and we will keep you informed as we learn more."

The email, which was received by numerous students from both Council Rock high schools and by Council Rock staff members, was turned over to authorities out of concern that one or more student's email accounts was hacked and because the content of the email "possibly included anti-Semitic messaging," Fraser said.

"We treat anti-Semitic language and hate speech of any kind with the greatest seriousness, as it directly goes against our belief system as an inclusive school district," he said.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which ended on October 15, 2020, the Newtown Township Human Relations Commission (NTHRC) hosted a presentation by guest speaker Dr. Leticia Ferri, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Global People & Business Resource Group Lead. Dr. Ferri spoke at the October 21, 2020, NTHRC Zoom meeting about “Being Latino in the U.S.”

Dr. Ferri focused on the Bristol-Myers Squibb People & Business Resource Group, which she leads. 

Of particular interest was the financial impact of Latinos on the U.S. economy (see, for example, the GDP chart here) and among the electorate. 

"The future of the U.S. workforce." claimed Dr. Ferri, "speaks Spanish." She presented data that suggested 74% of U.S. workers in the not-too-distant future will be Hispanics. Thus, "an aging America is counting on Latino on Latino contributions - $101.8 Billion - to Social Security. In addition, 31.5 million Latinos are eligible to vote in 2020!

More...

The two Bucks County agencies are teaming up to increase public safety and public trust by supporting additional training, transparency and communication. On Wednesday, they will join together at the Bensalem Police Department to formalize their new partnership.

This the first partnership of its kind in Bucks County, said Karen Downer, president of NAACP Bucks County.

"As our communities are re-imagining public safety, we think these kind of relationships throughout the county will connect us with the police a lot better," Downer said.

Both agencies plan to meet shared goals, including:

• A commitment to regular meetings and open dialogue between the NAACP Bucks County and Bensalem Township Police Department leadership

• Both parties will work together to ensure that Bensalem police officers receive regular training that enhances their ability to have effective, respectful, and peaceful interactions with all citizens, including people of color

• Both parties agree to work together to encourage and assist Bensalem residents, especially residents of color, to consider serving the Bensalem Township community by becoming a police officer with the Bensalem Township Police Department

• A broader process for intake of any complaints of police misconduct, including the ability of residents to report such complaints to the NAACP Bucks County or to county religious leaders

• Increased transparency regarding the results of police misconduct investigations, including reporting outcomes to the NAACP.

Downer hopes to forge similar partnerships with other police departments across Bucks County. Such agreements, she said, "will go a long way to build partnerships where we are comfortable making direct contact with police and having straight forward honest conversations."

Madeleine McCullough, a political science and economics major from Newtown, said that after George Floyd’s death, she began having discussions with Eva Pontrelli, a college classmate, about how to actively talk with legislators and turn the conversation about police brutality into action and reform.

“[There were] a lot of hoops you had to jump through: identifying who your legislator is, identifying the subjects that are important to talk about, [and] figuring out what changes…will leave a lasting and tangible impact.”

On top of that, McCullough realized that even once an individual had a lawmaker on the line, they might not have the facts, context or data to have a robust conversation. “The conversation seems like a difficult one to have, and often times you don’t have the information to back up what you want to say.”

Then she realized she might have the tools to create a solution. McCullough and a team of her Boston College classmates created a website called Meet the Momentum, which aims to provide specific and objective information to link constituents with their state’s representatives and policing policies.

*****

Meet the Momentum's mission is to streamline the process of contacting state legislators for anyone who sees a need for change in the way their state approaches policing. This tool serves to channel that passion into a collective voice calling for achievable, impactful policy measures.

*****

McCullough said that she and her team launched the website “with the intention of giving everybody the tools they need to make changes in their communities.”

Since its release on July 27th, the site has had over 1,300 unique views and has also gained hundreds of followers on its accompanying social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. McCullough said that she hopes the site will continue to educate others and help sustain a longer-term civic engagement to fight injustice.

“It’s so easy to be desensitized to tragedy…[we have to] to acknowledge that so many of these problems are things that can be avoided,” said McCullough, referring to the deaths of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and more recently, the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, which have stirred emotional responses nationwide. “It’s a reminder to…put those feelings to work through the democratic process.”

She also believes that Meet the Momentum’s emphasis on objectivity has potential to prevent buzzwords like “defunding” from shutting down more thoughtful conversation from both sides of the aisle.

McCullough plans to continue working on this project well into the future, citing a clear need for the project: “There is a desire for this information out there…We want to give people the tools to have more fruitful, educated, open-minded conversation,” she said.

And McCullough believes Meet the Momentum is a testament to the potential for those conversations to bring people together.

“Individuals who think they and I might not have common ground—this website has given that common ground a physical presence, on the Internet.”

To push forward racial equality, the Bucks County Chapter of the NAACP has created a criminal justice and education committee during a time of unease and tension around the country.

The committee is aimed at helping "develop and implement strategies to advance racial equality in policing; encourage full voting participation; promote anti-racist policies, practices, and culture in schools; and increase public awareness of racism," organizers said.

Inspired by strong public support throughout Bucks County that included multiple rallies and protests following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis in May, the committee will bring together longtime social justice leaders with "volunteers who are new to the cause to focus on key areas of opportunity."

“Every child in Bucks County should grow up knowing they are valued and their future is bright, and every person should know they can count on equal protection under the law,” said Karen Downer, NAACP Bucks County Branch president. “We look forward to productive discussions with county, municipal, police, school and community leaders about how we can ensure equal treatment for Black and Brown people and embrace the value of our diversity to strengthen our county.”

The committee focused on education, police relations and legislative changes will be led by labor, employee relations and municipal law attorney Patrice Tisdale, of Warrington, and former state Rep. Helen Tai, who now runs a consulting firm.

The group said it hopes to bring together those of all racial backgrounds who are committed to racial justice. Those interested in joining can contact the group at buckscountynaacp@gmail.com or visit its Facebook page.

A coalition created amidst nationwide demonstrations surrounding race and social justice, Lower Bucks for Change is creating waves in Bristol Township as members have made their voices heard.

The group’s early focus has been on Bristol Township, one of the largest and diverse municipalities in the county.

Organized by recent local high school and college graduates, the movement’s membership argue Black, brown, and immigrant students and residents are poorly served by area schools and a township budget where more than half of total expenditure is used to fund the Bristol Township Police Department.

“We wanted to connect to people at our age. We hope we can use this as a resource for electoral and political changes as well as policy change,” said Vincent Montoya, a 22-year-old graduate of Truman High School and a member of Lower Bucks for Change.

Montoya helped found the group following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing movement.

A critical reason for this, Denise George, a 23-year-old graduate of Harry S. Truman High School, said is the unrepresentative nature of the township council and other local bodies, which are almost entirely white.

“Our political leaders have a completely distorted perspective of what we want,” she said. “Our goal is to mobilize people to create a safe space for all residents.”

One major goal of Lower Bucks for Change is education reform.

“When we talk about history, we leave the present in its own bubble. We don’t make connections to the present. There’s constant backlash we see because people haven’t had the proper education to fully grapple with these issues. I don’t think it’s worthwhile to keep abridging history,” said Fernando Coplin, a 21-year-old graduate of Truman High School.

Topics the group would like to see addressed in a new curriculum include the Black Panthers and other Black liberation groups, racism in Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and the Tulsa race massacre.

“There’s a lot of whitewashing, white leader complex. We see teachers who are making strides individually, but they aren’t receiving any support,” George said. “Why is African-American history only taught for two weeks? We expect resistance, we have no belief in convincing or changing the minds of the people who don’t want to change.”

A crucial component of their cause is calling for reforming police, including through cuts to the police budget.

“The police play too big a role in our society right now,” Montoya said. “The majority of people think we should stop arresting people for having weed. It’s unacceptable we don’t have data on racial arrest rates. If you took less than 15 percent of the police budget, every student could meet with a social worker each month. It’s pretty uncontroversial stuff we’re putting forward, when more than half of the general fund is spent on policing in Bristol.”

Montoya said members of the group plan to attend every township council meeting until the budget is passed in December.

“We don’t need to do any persuading. It’s clear they are not allocating the money correctly,” he said.

The council welcomed the group and thanked them for coming out in June, but the July meeting showed that it was clear that the group could face a bit of an uphill battle.

In July, members of the group came before Bristol Township Council to make their voices heard and advocate for their goals, including making Bristol Township a so-called ”sanctuary city,” examining police spending, and support for easing rules for marijuana.

“You must be talking about a different community,” said Council Vice President Cynthia Murphy in an exchange with the group. “Did you just hear our meeting? Our police are dedicated to our county, serving it. Everyone comes together, it is a very diverse and welcoming community for the majority of the residents. We are very diverse. For the most part, everyone gets involved.”

An anti-discrimination ordinance and a new commission to enforce it are both in the works in Middletown.

Township supervisors recently voted to advertise the ordinance and formation of a Human Relations Commission, and are scheduled to vote on enacting both measures at their next meeting Aug. 24.

Supervisor Anna Payne, who has been one of the main driving forces behind both proposals, said they are both very important, especially at a time when the Black Lives Matter movement and other factors are raising awareness about social injustice in the country.

“A Human Relations Commission is a critical step toward making our community equitable and accessible,” Payne said. “My vision for the commission is to serve as a catalyst in our civic duty to combat injustice and advocate for residents who are marginalized and discriminated against. These members of our community now have a voice for change and a seat at the table.

The anti-discrimination ordinance would prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations and access to education on the basis of race, color, familial status, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, handicap or disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The new Human Relations Commission would give residents a forum for discrimination complaints. Among its powers would be to hold hearings, in some cases in public, and issue rulings on such complaints.

Among other Bucks County municipalities that have anti-discrimination ordinances and human relations commissions are Newtown Township [read “Newtown Becomes the FIRST Township in Bucks County to Pass an Anti-Discrimination Ordinance That Protects the Rights of the LGBTQ Community”; http://sco.lt/6ez1hR] and Yardley.

 The document has six action steps designed to improve the school district’s diversity and racial climate.

Establishing a district-wide diversity and inclusion team and hiring an outside consultant to conduct a diversity-focused curricular audit are two of several actions outlined in a resolution unanimously approved by the Council Rock School Board at a recent meeting.

At the same meeting, the board approved a $9,000 agreement with an organization called Living Strong to help the district implement strategies in the document, which is titled a “resolution supporting the development of an anti-racist school climate.”

The actions come not long after two 2015 Council Rock High School South graduates, Farah Contractor and Danielle Randall, wrote a letter to school board members and administrators recommending 15 steps they feel would create a more diverse and racially sensitive school district. [Read “Bucks County School Districts Are Urged by Students to Better Address Systemic Racism - Will It Happen? Sign the Petition.”; http://sco.lt/6d4vxI ]

Actions to be taken by the district as outlined in the resolution are:

– Establishing a CRSD diversity and inclusion team inclusive of all district schools

– Building on the effectiveness of existing school-based teams

– Holding focus groups with recent graduates on preparedness for their next phase of life

– Holding focus groups with current students, including students from under-represented groups, on their experience in Council Rock schools and the community.

The other two actions are having an external consultant conduct a diversity-focused curricular and/or equity audit, and creating a systemic employee-training program centered on diversity, equity and inclusiveness.

Contractor, a Muslim Asian-American, wrote in an email that she appreciated the initiative shown by Council Rock officials in drafting and approving the resolution but that she felt it fell short in several ways.

“Some of these action items require more concrete goals in order to hold CRSD accountable,” she stated. “For example, I would love to know how CRSD will use feedback gained from the diversity and inclusion teams and focus groups to implement change in the community.

“Diversity and inclusion groups can often be performative strategies used by institutions to absolve themselves of blame in the public eye. CRSD students have informed me that the current school-based diversity and inclusion teams consisted of mostly white members and resulted in no tangible change.”

Contractor added she was disappointed the resolution and action steps do not address the “Indians” nickname for sports teams at Council Rock North that she considers racist. The Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball team is strongly considering changing its nickname, a move supported by Manager Terry Francona.

“Inviting an external consultant for curricular or equity audits can be valuable,” Contractor wrote. “However, former and current students have already identified many of the curriculum’s shortcomings. I would like to see specific goals of this audit such as the integration of more literature authored by BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color), as stated in our letter to the administration.”

She continued that the resolution “fails to address the overwhelming lack of minority teachers, sensitivity trainings and BIPOC student unions. By acknowledging only ‘traces’ of systemic racism exist within the community and creating vague, amorphous action items, CRSD is able to relinquish its agency for creating an anti-racist environment.

“I hope to see CRSD release additional explicit plans to support its non-white students that go beyond buzzwords.”

[The new effort is designed to advance equality in policing, voting, and education throughout Bucks County.]

Bucks County's chapter of the NAACP has formed a new committee focused on racial equality in policing and other issues brought to light by the recent wave of protests that have spread worldwide.

The chapter's Criminal Justice & Education Committee will develop and implement strategies "to advance racial equality in policing, encourage full voting participation, promote anti-racist policies, practices and culture in schools and increase public awareness of racism," according to the NAACP.

In a news release, the Bucks NAACP said the committee was inspired by strong public support following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and aims to bring longtime civil rights leaders together with new volunteers.

"Every child in Bucks County should grow up knowing they are valued and their future is bright, and every person should know they can count on equal protection under the law," said Karen Downer, president of the Bucks County NAACP. “We look forward to productive discussions with county, municipal, police, school, and community leaders about how we can ensure equal treatment for Black and brown people and embrace the value of our diversity to strengthen our county.”

The committee is led by labor, employee relations and municipal law attorney Patrice Tisdale, of Warrington, and former Pennsylvania state representative and Solebury Township Supervisor Helen Tai.

The sports team name and Native American imagery used by the Neshaminy School District will remain for now.

For years, supporters of keeping the “Redskins” name and iconography in the Neshaminy School District have pointed to the Washington NFL franchise and their steadfast support of their name. On Monday, the NFL team announced that after years of pressure they would be changing their name.

The NFL team has not announced what their new name and mascot will be, but said it will “enhance the standing of our proud, tradition rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years.”

Last November, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) released a somewhat ambiguous decision that Neshaminy High School must stop using logos and imagery that “negatively stereotype Native Americans” but can keep using the “Redskins” term with the requirement “educational information is provided to district students to ensure that students do not form the idea that it is acceptable to stereotype any group.”

In the months since, Neshaminy has appealed the decision from the PHRC.

The school district’s name comes from the indigenous Lenni-Lenape people’s term nischam-hanne, which means “double stream” and “place where we drink twice.” The Neshaminy Creek runs through the school district in Hulmeville, Langhorne, Lower Southampton, and Middletown. The Lenni-Lenape tribe were not widely known to dress like the images Neshaminy and students often use in relation to their sports teams.

Neshaminy resident Donna Boyle, who is part Cherokee, has for at least eight years asked the school board to change the name and imagery. In 2013, she filed a complaint that the use of the term, mascot, and related imagery caused distress for her child due to their indigenous heritage.

While Boyle celebrated that progress was being made in relation to the NFL team, she has doubts Neshaminy will see the same progress.

“There’s no way it will happen in the district,” she said. “Neshaminy will stick to their guns.”

“I think the school board should be ashamed of themselves. It’s shameful the school board is so clueless,” Boyle said.

She said if the district were to change the name and imagery, it shouldn’t be a race of people.

“It’s just that simple. Just go away from the thing that’s going to cause you problems,” she said.

The debate over the use of the name and imagery in Neshaminy has gained attention from national and regional press over the past years. In 2014, there was a nationally watched fight over whether the high school newspaper could use the term and also over editorial control.

As school systems and sports teams across the country have dropped Native American-influenced names and mascots over concerns they are racist and derogatory, Neshaminy has stuck with their position. They have claimed the choice decades ago was not intended to be insulting and may even be an honor.

In an interview Monday, [Neshaminy School Board President Stephen] Pirritano said the does not see the name and iconography as offensive, but sees it as a way to honor Native Americans. However, he did acknowledge the image of an indigenous man used is not accurate for the type of people who lived in the region.

Pirritano said he wants the district to finish with their appeal of the PHRC decision before their is a larger opportunity to have a discussion about the name and  iconography.

In light on the pandemic, Pirritano said the district’s resources and time have largely been focused on preparing for the upcoming school year, but he noted that there has been support from groups representing indigenous people who wish the district would keep the name and imagery.

On the other hand, Pirritano said he understands there are concerns by others.

Donna Boyle speaking before the school board in 2012. File photo.
Boyle, who is part of Coalition of Natives and Allies, and other people with Native American heritage have long made the point that the district needs to change the name sooner rather than later.

While speaking on the issue, Pirritano admitted that changing or altering the name and imagery “may be for a future school board to decide.”

“It will be a community decision,” he said.

For Pirritano, the issue regarding the PHRC is more about the district retaining local control of matters.

The issue of local control and state overreach is one way Pirritano defends the district spending $331,000 over a six-year period with insurance covering an additional $104,000 in costs.

The school board president has taken issue with the PHRC being involved. He has called the PHRC investigation flawed and a “total overreach.”

School districts in Bucks County are trying to become more proactive to battle systemic racism in response to last month’s death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

In Council Rock and New Hope-Solebury, past and present students have taken it upon themselves to push for change in their districts.

Council Rock High School South graduates Farah Contractor, a Muslim Asian-American, and Danielle Randall, who is white, wrote a letter to school board members, Superintendent Robert Fraser and other district administrators listing 15 steps they feel would make the district more in tune and sensitive to issues like systemic racism and diversity.

They include changing the “Indian” nickname for athletic teams at Council Rock High School North [actually, the letter recommends changing the name of the CR mascot "to something inoffensive"]  , adding more Black and indigenous peoples’ history to the American history curriculum, adding more world and LGBTQ history to the curriculum, and making an active effort to hire and train a more diverse teaching staff.

Contractor and Randall, who also are both 2019 University of Pennsylvania graduates, have gathered about 1,700 signatures in support of the letter.

[Find the letter, the action steps, and a link to the petition here.] 

“Many of our former classmates and other members of the community took to social media in the last few weeks to share ignorant posts about the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement and about systemic racism,” the two 2015 CR South graduates wrote in an email.

“Farah and her family have experienced micro and macroaggressions living in a conservative county as Muslim South Asians. We both have witnessed discrimination and racist behavior in the Council Rock community not limited to swastikas drawn on school property and racial profiling.

“We also reflected on the heavily Eurocentric education at CR and felt that CR adding a more diverse curriculum would help broaden the perspective of students to life outside of suburban Bucks County. We thought this letter would be well timed and prompt the administration to revise its curriculum and policies regarding systemic racism, as well as hold themselves accountable for these changes.”

Saying that he had not seen the petition, Fraser, the Council Rock superintendent, did not specifically address points raised in the two graduates’ letter but emailed a general statement that read “I have been rocked to my core with the senseless killings of George Floyd and others, and I have urged our Council Rock community to come together as one to combat any hate crime, any hate speech, and all forms of racism.

Council Rock School Board President Andy Block wrote in an email, “I am aware that a petition is circulating, but will reserve any comment specific to that letter until we have received it.”

“This fight to end these oppressive systems is not an instantaneous one, and we believe one of the key steps in this process is to properly educate our youth in the true history of this nation,” Contractor and Randall wrote in their letter to Council Rock officials.

“We want to express our disappointment with the district’s current level of engagement and inaction regarding these difficult topics, and to urge the district to do better and actively prepare their students to become upstanding citizens who will fight for progressive change.”

A letter and petition by Council Rock School District (CRSD) graduates Farah Contractor and Danielle Randall, was distributed via Facebook by Janai Robinson, who has been active in the Newtown area #BlackLivesMatter movement,urges the CRSD to "do better and actively prepare their students to become upstanding citizens who will fight for progressive change."

The letter and petition will be sent to the Council Rock School Board, the Superintendent of Schools, and various school principals. I learned about the letter through the Concerned Community of Council Rock School District Facebook Group.

The authors claim that CRSD falls short of its very own mission statement: “Council Rock School District, in partnership with its community, empowers all students with the knowledge, habits, and attitudes to become life-long learners and to lead and serve in a diverse global society.”

The letter lists several "action steps" that CRSD should follow to achieve that goal, including changes in curriculum, hiring a more diverse teaching staff, etc.

Find the letter, the action steps, and a link to the petition here…