Demand intensifies for School Board to end DEI

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Opponents of the Forsyth County School Board’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) plan ramped up the pressure on Board members to end what they believe is a new form of segregation during Tuesday’s Board meeting.

The room was filled to capacity with stakeholders. About 90 percent opposed DEI. A small but noisy group of students were on hand to express their support for DEI.

While the speakers were mostly respectful, one student accused opponents of “ignorance” and “racism.”

Turner Davis, a rising junior at Denmark High said, “In recent weeks and months, our county has faced a group of concerned parents who have fallen victim to conspiracy, untrue information and their own ignorance. “It may seem there are a lot of people here who are opposed to DEI when they are only a loud minority who are trying to hide their racism and explicit biases by acting as concerned parents.”

Davis also lashed out at the School Board for suspending all DEI training until further review. “I’m astonished at the lengths this Board will go to accommodate the outlandish, irrational paranoia these parents exhibit.”

But those who spoke in opposition to DEI were a remarkably well-educated and diverse group. At least two had obtained a PhD and another a Master’s Degree. There were engineers, architects and teachers and one former law enforcement officer who spoke in opposition. The group also included multiple minorities like one Black parent, a Cuban-American father, and two women who fled Communist China.

Jonathan Beckford, an African-American husband and father of four, who immigrated to the U.S. when he was 17 said he struggled financially at first, but completed a double major at the University of Arkansas and has since risen up the corporate ladder and made a comfortable living for his family.

Beckford said he stands firmly against DEI, which he believes is Critical Race Theory (CRT) in disguise.

“One reason is it defines the world as one where humans are powerless as individuals to gain meaning and power due to identity groups. The claim is the world is a collection of man-made power structures that oppress some identities and create advantages for other identities. That is a horrible view of the world, one that I don’t teach my kids and one I would not expect my hard-earned tax dollars to support.”

Following the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Chairwoman Kristin Morrissey said, “We stand behind our plan. We will revise it if needed but we stand behind the need to have a plan to make sure our students are accepted.”

After a brief recess, the Board unanimously approved the $508.8 million FY 2022 General Fund budget that includes $520 million in expenditures with $11.3 million to come from the reserve fund.