A Vermont high school will fly a Black Lives Matter flag to celebrate Black History Month in February, according to a Wednesday announcement.
Montpelier High School announced officials made the decision after being approached by the school’s Racial Justice Alliance, reported The Burlington Free Press.
“Vermont has a long history of being at the forefront of civil rights movements,” said the high school in a news release obtained by Burlington Free Press. “Our state was the first to abolish slavery in its constitution, and the first to enroll and graduate a black student, who subsequently served in the state legislature. The School Board’s decision to fly a Black Lives Matter flag builds on that legacy.”
The Racial Justice Alliance claimed the school has already made progress towards “shared understanding of the need for racial justice” with curriculum changes, faculty training, and a school assembly. The group aims to increase the awareness of Montpelier’s mostly white community about “implicit bias” and “white privilege.”
“We reject any purported connections to violence or hate that may or may not have occurred under the Black Lives Matter flag,” said the Racial Justice Alliance. “We recognize that all lives do matter, but in the same spirit, not all lives are acknowledged for their equal importance until black lives have been.”
The Movement for Black Lives platform, endorsed by Black Lives Matter, calls for reparations and to “end the war on black people.”
“In taking this step the board and administration recognize student leadership and their desire for support,” said Brian Ricca, superintendent of Montpelier Public Schools.
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The school board invited those who disagreed with the decision to fly the Black Lives Matter flag in front of the public school to partake in “constructive and peaceful dialogue, in the hopes of deepening our shared understanding of race and privilege in our education system and broader community.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the district for comment regarding public opinion of the decision and the partisan nature of Black Lives Matter, but received no comment in time for press.
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