O P I N I O N
BLACK in NH
by Emerald Anderson-Ford
Last week, NHPR broke a story on NH Education Commissioner, Frank Edelblut, and how ‘he used his office in the culture war,’ in particular as it pertains to the books and resources available in school libraries.
There’s a resolve and understanding of those who occupy marginalized identities, exactly the types of material that will be considered obscene or divisive. As it stands, there continues to be extreme underrepresentation of queer identities and identities of color in any national, state, and local textbooks. Everyday, we are seeing the influx of legislation and policy that bans teaching African American history and Queer history, among other things. And while the NHPR report on the commissioner is damning, our local students don’t always understand the impacts of actions like these have on them in their day-to-day lives. The idea of the state department of education feels big and far away for an average high schooler in Manchester.
What does feel very close by and real are the words and actions of their local school and district officials, administration, and staff.
This past week the Manchester School district posted on its various social platforms, celebrating and recognizing the accomplishments of a local elementary school educator, tagging the education commissioner at the event. At face value this action feels innocuous and perfectly justifiable considering we’re talking about a school district and the education commissioner. However, it does beg the question of the decision-making ability of whoever is in charge of the district social media accounts and communication. It feels like a major oversight, as the most diverse district in the state, to post an overly zealous picture and caption with the current commissioner.
“It’s weird. They don’t care about us, and it seems like they want us to know that they don’t care about us. Like they want us hopeless because they don’t want us to feel good about who we are,” says Samira*, a Manchester high school student, who identifies as Black. “Why did the district have to even name this guy? Just to throw it in our faces that they agree with him and not wanting us to have an education where we feel like we matter,” she concluded.
“A news story comes out about this man who is using his power to make sure that I don’t have representation of myself in my education, and my school (district) leaders give him free positive press – nah – they really don’t care about the students they are supposed to care about,” said another Manchester high school student of color.
What’s beginning to feel clear about this is that the students, in particular students who occupy marginalized identities, can sense the feelings of their district leadership. “Most of the adults in the district office seem like they would treat us like we see the adults treating their students on college campuses who are protesting. They’ll throw us under the bus if it makes them look good or keeps getting them money. Leaders in state education don’t care, and neither do the ones here in the city,” Samira said.
When asked about if the post felt tone deaf both students agreed it did: “This guy was just ripped apart in a news story and less than a week later the district posts him? They couldn’t see that it was too soon to do that? They didn’t think it would feel like they agreed with his stance on representation?” The overall sentiment was the Highland-Goffes Falls teacher being celebrated by CoderZ for innovation of coding and STEM in the classroom, could have been uplifted without the addition of the commissioner.
Often when we think about how to better journey along our road toward inclusion, equity, and anti-racism, we focus on the really big action steps. The things that will get us recognized and get people talking – we rarely understand the impacts of small gestures of community care and decency. And some of us don’t have the capacity for that type of common sense and how it moves into larger community care. Our Manchester students deserve this kind of everyday care; it’s the only way to mitigate the casual daily reminders of how many in the Granite State feel about their existence. Highlighting the commissioner within the same week that it was brought to light that he actively works to ensure students from diverse backgrounds continue to feel unwelcome in New Hampshire, is foolish and unmatched in its short-sightedness. It lacks awareness of the here and now of what students are facing in their communities at large and it begs the question: who is elevating the needs and voices of our diverse student population if not the district administration?
When asked what the district can do to help rebuild trust, Samira answers, “Saying ‘sorry’ or removing the post doesn’t even matter. They need to be better at representing the actual needs of the students who are here, not the ones they wish were here, or they need to quit.”
Reach Emerald Anderson-Ford at elanderson85@gmail.com
