School board member Mary Yeboah ranted against Columbus Day and a number of other things at the board’s Nov. 10 meeting.
The issue at hand was the school's calendar and the possible inclusion of Columbus Day.
“To be very clear, these are not questions that I expect you to answer right now. I'm asking them for the benefit of reflective thinking for the district, especially in the months leading up to the approval of these calendars,” Yeboah said.
The school board member then launched into a list of rhetorical questions on why maintaining the holiday is not in CUSD200’s favor.
“One, does the District 200 administration recognize the impact of holidays, statues and other memorials on shaping school culture, which in turn shapes student experiences and outcomes?
“Two, does the District 200 administration consider celebrating extreme violence, theft, genocide and dehumanization to be in line with the study of social science to help students develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the benefit of the global society in which they live?
“Three, does District 200 administration affirm the accurate telling of history and recognize the impossibility of discovering land already inhabited.
“Four, does the District 200 administration take into consideration the perspectives of indigenous people regarding this particular calendar event?
“Five, could maintaining this District 200 calendar event unintentionally support a myth of U.S. exceptionalism that could undermine district efforts to create diverse, inclusive schools for all children? Lastly, does this calendar event advance the vision and mission of District 200 goals? And if it does not? Must it remain despite state local support?” she said.
Yeboah is also the Director of Graduate Student Life at Wheaton College. She holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership and Policy from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
Yeboah is a consultant to the Culturally Responsive School Leadership Institute (CRSLI). The organization focuses on “education equity.”
The institute and its sister company — Adjusted Equity Solutions — engage in contracts for equity studies. The founder of Adjusted Equity Solutions, Dr. Muhammad Khalifa, who is also president and CEO of CRSLI has been called a “Muslim evangelist” who has ties to alleged anti-Semitic groups. Part of his focus is on “Christian privilege.”
Yeboah’s outcry is similar to that of River Forest Trustee Erika Bachner.
Bachner reads a “land statement” before each meeting. She and other board members opted to allow the meeting to start with the indigenous people’s statement rather than the Pledge of Allegiance before each meeting.
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