Just war and violence in Ukraine

Below is my column in today's issue of the Grand Haven Tribune.

Like many of you, I’ve been watching the escalating events in Ukraine and Russia with a fair amount of anxiety. Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding several things, including a promise for NATO never to expand eastward to countries like Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Russian troops have amassed on Ukraine’s borders, ignoring calls from the U.S. and NATO allies to remove them. And, since it was only a few years ago that Russia invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine, the threat of a new invasion seems very real.

As a Christian, it is difficult to look at the possibility of war and know what the best outcome is, the best choice in a world of violence and danger. For much of her history, the church has used the theory of “Just War” to determine when the violence of war is an appropriate choice for a nation to make.

Though Just War theory goes back to Greco-Roman philosophy, it was best laid out in a Christian understanding by Augustine of Hippo, and then later by Thomas Aquinas. In “Just War” theory, there is a hesitance regarding the inherent violence of war while also recognizing that sometimes it is the lesser of two evils.

In the view of Aquinas, a just war must be waged by a lawful government, for a just cause due to a wrong done to those being attacked. The waging of a just war must also have a just intent to promote good and avoid evil. Aquinas was also clear that war should always be the last resort, done in the pursuit of justice. And later developments have also made it clear that there must be a probability of success and that noncombatants must be protected.

When Putin invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, he sent unmarked troops into the region and fomented a civil war that cost over 14,000 lives. Russia was slapped with economic sanctions, but little else. The Minsk protocol effectively gave half of the Crimean region to Russia as reward for his belligerence.

Now Putin wants the rest of the territory, the regions that were given back to Ukraine in 2014. As I said, he demands a promise that Ukraine never enter the NATO alliance and is further demanding that NATO withdraw all forces from Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO member countries.

Under Just War theory, wars of conquest are illegal war, with Russia’s desire to control the entire Crimean region being an example of just such an attempted conquest. Ukraine is a victim of this aggression, and her allies are justified under Christian just war theory to use force to protect her, if negotiations fail and Russia does invade.

In the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, Ukraine gave up all of her nuclear weapons from her Soviet days to Russia, in exchange for a promise from Russia that Ukraine’s borders and territorial independence would be protected. Russia has clearly broken those promises.

As John Davenport, professor of philosophy at Fordham University, argued in a recent essay, the United States cannot betray and abandon Ukraine. We must demand the immediate removal of forces that threaten this country and be clear that if these forces are not removed by a hard timeline, Ukraine will immediately be invited into the NATO alliance. We must be clear that if Ukraine is invaded again, that the U.S. and NATO will send in forces to protect the innocent citizens of that country. As Davenport says near the end of his essay, “Peace, as the aim of just wars, should not be the false peace of life under tyranny.”

As a Christian, like many of you, I have lived through a good number of wars at this point, a good number of conflicts that, in the end, many Christian leaders have regarded as unjust. Both the invasion of Iraq and the occupation of Afghanistan were deeply problematic from a just war standpoint. It has seemed at times that our country is not really concerned about protecting noncombatants and citizens. And so, Christians have spoken up and have urged an end to violence. I have joined them in those calls.

But protecting the weak and the vulnerable is central to Christian teaching, and our siblings in Christ in Ukraine are hoping their western neighbors will stand up and defend them, that we will not fall back in a fear of war that would enable the tyranny of Putin to expand.

We must never forget that it was the hesitancy of many Christians toward war against Hitler that enabled his aggression to go unchecked until it was almost too late. Putin has demonstrated he will not stop on his own. We must force him to stop, or the peace under which we live will be a false peace caused by massive injustice and oppression.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

A priest’s views on recreational weed in Grand Haven

 Below is my column in today's issue of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

Let’s talk about weed. Yep, just when you thought your local progressive pastor couldn’t move any further to the left, here I am.

Except, the question of recreational marijuana use is increasingly one of the few issues in our country that is based less upon a partisan divide and instead upon generational perceptions.

According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal, either for medicinal use only (31 percent) or for medicinal and recreational use (60 percent). Progressives generally do favor legalization more, with 95 percent of Democrats in favor of either recreational or medicinal use, but is not much more than the 87 percent of all Republicans who agree. Indeed, nearly half of all Republicans (47 percent) explicitly favor legalization of recreational use.

The disagreement is much more based upon age. For example, 70 percent of adults under 29 favor legalization of recreational marijuana. That number decreases by age, until you get to those who are over 75, of whom only 32 percent support recreational marijuana.

I believe the current status of marijuana in our country can be likened to another ban on intoxicating substances 100 years ago: the prohibition on alcohol. Prohibition didn’t stop people from drinking; it instead drove it underground where it fostered a criminal empire of producers meeting demand. It also fundamentally changed the way people drink, with a significant increase in spirits. (If you think about it, smuggling a barrel of whiskey is far easier than an equivalent amount of alcohol using multiple barrels of beer.)

We see similar dynamics at play in the current prohibition on recreational marijuana. As Jordan Waldrep noted in a column in Forbes Magazine, with penalties assessed based upon grams in possession, it makes more sense to create a more powerful drug. This is one reason why the amount of THC in marijuana has more than tripled since the mid-’90s. By contrast, many recreational shops have excelled in offering micro-dosing products.

I bring all of this up because a local business in Grand Haven, New Standard, is asking for the city to move forward with allowing recreational marijuana in our community.

When medicinal marijuana facilities were approved in Grand Haven after the success of the 2018 Proposition 1, they were approved in the hope of seeing what kind of impact these new facilities would have upon Grand Haven and surrounding communities. Since 56 percent of the residents of the city of Grand Haven voted in favor of the proposal (including a majority in every single precinct), it stands to reason that a majority of people in Grand Haven want to see the prohibition on marijuana end. Medicinal facilities were a smart first step.

What we have noticed since the approval of medicinal facilities are a few things. First, as Councilmember Karen Lowe pointed out in a recent presentation to City Council, recreational sales have cannibalized medicinal sales, as people who use the drug for medicinal purposes now no longer see a need to renew their cards. Second, we’ve seen that not a single other municipality in our area voted to ban recreational marijuana sales. Furthermore, the current ban means our city does not get the excise tax redistributions from recreational sales from the state – a loss of $25,000 to $30,000 per adult use business.

And the ban on recreational sales doesn’t keep it out of Grand Haven – stores in Muskegon will deliver to your door. It just makes it a bit harder and more expensive for area residents.

The worry expressed by our current mayor is that approval of recreational sales in Grand Haven will make it easier for marijuana to get to area kids. This concern, though, doesn’t make sense when you look at the evidence. From 1975 to 2012, 80-90 percent of 12th-graders consistently reported that marijuana was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. However, after legalization began, for the first time the perception of availability has dropped below 80 percent.

This makes sense. If you walk into New Standard, you will meet a friendly person at the welcome desk who will check IDs (and, currently, medical cards) before you can go through a second door into their showroom. However, when the mechanism for purchase is illegal and on the black market, there is nothing to keep it away from teenagers. Ironically enough, by not allowing recreational use, the city of Grand Haven is encouraging the still-existing black market.

There is no government data to indicate that reformed marijuana laws have led to increased use by teenagers. There is only fear. And we must make decisions based upon facts, not upon fears.

Before I close, I’d like to say why I, as a Christian priest, am talking about this issue.

First, all of the data above seems reasonable and compelling to me, no matter someone’s faith commitments. However, as a Christian, I am concerned with equity and justice. The current system is unjust, with a study by the ACLU finding that African Americans are 3.6 more likely than whites to be arrested for possession, despite similar use rates.

But even beyond that, marijuana is far safer than many other medications people take on a regular basis, particularly when it comes to chronic pain, mood disorders and the effects of chemotherapy. Compassion would urge me to make that access by adults easier, not harder. To me, marijuana is similar to alcohol – a mind-altering substance that can be abused and misused, but which should not be illegal. Even St. Paul encouraged a little wine now and then for his protégé, Timothy’s, stomach. To be honest, I have a feeling he would have said the same thing about gummies.

Let’s finally get rid of the approach of prohibition, an approach that has failed and is actually more dangerous to kids. Instead, let’s talk about responsible adult use. Let’s support studies about the long-term impact of marijuana use, particularly when it comes to regulated and consistent commercial products instead of street drugs, so we can know what risks are involved.

To be clear, I’m not promoting the use of marijuana. Like with any mind-altering substance, there are risks involved. I do, however, think it is a decision – like the use of alcohol or other important choices – best left in the hands of responsible adults.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

Not Christmas Yet! Advent and the Four Last Things

Below is my column from today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

According to stores, Christmas has been almost here since before Halloween. But for many families, the first weekend after Thanksgiving marks the true beginning of the holiday season. I know I talked my wife into beginning our own decorating, though I couldn’t convince her to go with me to the Christmas Tree Farm… not yet.

Part of the reason for that is that our family leaves our tree up for the entire Christmas season—which actually only begins on December 25 and lasts until the Twelfth Day of Christmas, January 5. I know not everyone is familiar with the roots of Advent traditions, so I’d like to invite you to learn some about the gifts of this holy season. 

Advent always begins four Sundays before the Christmas holiday. In some churches, Advent is kind of an extended experience of the Christmas season. There are candles on a wreath named for such gentle and heartwarming concepts as hope, peace, joy, and love. 

But traditionally, that’s not what the Advent season is like. Instead, Advent is a darker season, a season that is meant to prepare us for the celebrations of Christmas, one in which we are invited to cast off our sins and prepare for the coming of Christ. In fact, traditionally the themes for the four Sunday of Advent are known as the Four Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. 

In Advent, however, the darkness of our world is met with the light and power of the Gospel, and that means the Four Last Things are profoundly important opportunities to see how the good news of God interacts with the Last Things of Christian theology.

We believe in death. Which is to say, we believe we will all die someday. True, for the Christian we believe life is changed, not ended, but in a world where we seem to deny the reality of our mortality, a reminder that we are all indeed mortal is important. That doesn’t mean we chase death (get that vaccine, folks!), but it also means we do not look at death as the end. It also means that we take very seriously our responsibility not to hasten someone else’s death through our own choices (once more, get the vaccine, Christians killing people by not being vaccinated during a pandemic is the antithesis of the Christian faith!). 

As Christians we also believe in judgment. Don’t get me wrong, we believe God’s judgment is always tempered by God’s mercy. I know I believe that in the end, all those who chose God will find God, that God’s love will heal all things. But when we acknowledge the brokenness of this world, we must also acknowledge the importance of believing in God’s judgment, believing that God’s justice will make right those things in this world that have been broken by sin, selfishness, violence, hate, and systems of oppression. Salvation means nothing—particularly to those who are marginalized and powerless—if it doesn’t also involve God’s justice being made manifest in people’s real lives.

Heaven, the third of the Last Things, is a bit easier for people to believe in. But heaven is not about pearly gates and mansions. It’s not the place where good people get to go when they die. Heaven is about the final healing of all things, of finally being in new and perfect relationship with God and all creation. Heaven is about all things being made new, all things being brought to their perfection through God’s love. And in the end, you don’t go to heaven because you earned it, you go because you’ve been willing to be embraced by God’s love and forgiveness.

And just like belief in Judgment and the justice of God is essential, the fourth Last Thing, Hell, is also an important part of Christian theology. I often say that Hell has to exist to preserve free choice. People must have the freedom to choose an eternity with God (also known as heaven) or an eternity without God (best understood as hell). However, the early Church, along with my own Anglican tradition, has taught that even in hell we do not lose the ability to change that choice and so even those who reject God in this life can still choose God in the life to come. As C.S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce, for people like that hell was actually purgatory, the difficult place where they finally learned to choose God.

Which is why I know I believe that, at the end of eternity, given the power of God’s love, hell will find itself empty as all things are brought together in Christ.

This is what the season of Advent is about: God’s light entering the real and difficult places of our world, of our mortal existence, in small and yet powerful ways. 

So, don’t just celebrate Christmas early these next few weeks. Instead, look into the darkness of this world but find yourself held by God’s love. That’s an Advent that will truly prepare you for the real joy of Christmas. 

The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.  

Religious freedom under attack from religious people

Below is today's column in the Grand Haven Tribune. 

Late last week, I read with interest the concerns of Detroit News columnist Ingrid Jacques, who warned that “‘Fair and Equal’ could unfairly harm faith-based work.” As a priest who has worked and served on the board of a variety of nonprofits, both those that are and are not faith-based, I wanted to know what her concerns were.

Her concerns are about a petition circulated by a group called “Fair and Equal Michigan.” Their goal is to amend the state’s current civil rights law – the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act – to add sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected categories. It would also clarify that protections for religion are “the religious belief of the individual.” A pretty significant 77 percent of Michigan citizens support this ballot proposal, which also has the support of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and former chairs of both the state Democratic and Republican parties.

At this point, you might be asking: So what is Jacques so worried about with this bill? Her largest concern is the change to specifying the religious beliefs of an individual, limiting the protections of religious expression to say they wouldn’t apply to a corporation, for example. As an example, she cites the suit Attorney General Dana Nessel filed against St. Vincent Catholic Charities and Bethany services, insisting that unless they would agree to place children with same-sex couples, they could not contract with the state for adoption services.

So, let’s say it again, so everyone can hear. Freedom of religion is about your freedom to practice your religion – it is not about your freedom to insist other people follow the tenets of your religion.

The so-called cause of religious liberty in our country has gotten this principal backwards. Instead, it is now legal for a Catholic hospital to infringe upon the right of a female employee to use birth control. Jacques believes it should be legal for a Christian adoption agency to infringe upon the rights of a same-sex couple, one who might be married in the Episcopal Church, to adopt children.

At any given time, there are 3,000 children in Michigan foster care who are available for adoption. Gay couples are four times more likely to be raising an adopted child and six times more likely to be raising foster children than opposite-sex couples. Research has consistently indicated that children raised by LGBTQIA+ parents group up as successfully as children raised by opposite-sex couples. (And research has also shown that there is no correlation in the gender identity and sexual orientation of children raised by LGBTQIA+ parents – because, of course, being gay is not something you catch from your parents.)

Real freedom of religion would be the freedom of a gay couple to adopt a child, using the same resources a straight couple would use. For a religious adoption agency to refuse to place a child with a gay couple is the religious organization imposing their views upon the gay couple and removing the couple’s freedom. It’s discrimination. It has nothing to do with helping the thousands of kids looking for a home. And it has no place in the Christian church.

I’m glad that Paul Propson, the CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, wants to serve the church and serve the community. That’s fantastic. Propson also says, “We recognize as Catholics, to say we believe something, and then not to act on it is in fact not to have any belief at all. Taking action is part of the faith, part of being Catholic.” Great, act on your beliefs. Feed the hungry. Take care of the needy. Help kids find homes. But you taking action on your faith should not include you insisting someone else live another way. Propson does not have the right, not as a Christian and certainly not as an American, to tell gay couples they cannot adopt kids just because of his own religious beliefs.

I am tired of religious people attacking the religious rights of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals, insisting their religion means that they can tell those people how to live, they can advocate for laws and policies that restrict their freedom, they can control the bodies of women and LGBTQIA+ persons. It is past time for other religious people to stand up and say no more discrimination in the name of religion. Practice your faith freely – but don’t think you have the freedom to tell someone else they must do what you believe as well.

And, for the sake of Jesus and his plea that we allow the children to come to him, if you are an adoption agency, get those kids in a home. That gay couple who wants to love and care for an adopted child is not a threat to your religion; they are a way you can practice your religion more faithfully by helping kids find homes.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

Standing against harassment; supporting public servants

Below is my column in today's issue of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

A local community activist, Nick Brock, reached out to me last week to see if our church would be interested in hosting a community event.

Nick knows that I share his concern with the behavior of a small segment of our community’s population when it comes to COVID-19 restrictions. Simple disagreement is no longer enough for some people who have chosen the path of vitriol, shouted threats, and violent language and behavior. This is all the more distressing for me as a priest, because so many of the people engaged in this sort of behavior call themselves Christians.

The cost of this behavior to the Christian witness is serious and cause for concern and frustration among all those who claim to follow the prince of peace. But there has been another cost: those on the receiving end of abuse and harassment.

In our own community, we’ve seen the president of the Grand Haven school board, John Siemion, resign after 22 years of faithful service upon advice from his doctor, for his own mental and physical well-being.

Shortly after Siemion’s announcement, our school superintendent, Andrew Ingall, announced his retirement. While he did not address the controversy of COVID-19 precautions as clearly as Siemion, Ingall did make it clear that “it is high time for me to attend to the physical and mental wellness of myself and my family.”

Our school board members have been subjected to some of the worst treatment imaginable through emails and phone calls.

In Ottawa County, our Board of Commissioners meetings have been overrun by crowds of people who bully any who disagree with them, threaten violence against public servants, and do all this while singing hymns and praying prayers. In Kent County, the health director had someone try to literally run him off the road on the interstate. Someone else told him that they hoped someone abused his children and make him watch.

And then there is our Department of Public Health. These are medical professionals who have given their lives to public service and the common good. They are not partisan hacks or part of a conspiracy to steal anyone’s rights. They are using science and medical knowledge to make decisions that will best protect their community in an ongoing pandemic. And the way they are being treated, the way all of these public servants are being treated, is contrary to the core teachings of Jesus Christ.

Which brings me back to Nick Brock. He reached out because he wanted to find a way to bring a little light into the dark world of public servants. And so, our parish campus is holding an outdoor event on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. The event will be on our church grounds (524 Washington Ave., here in Grand Haven) and have the purpose of showing public support for the Ottawa County Department of Public Health and emphasizing the importance of civility and nonviolence in community activism.

If you’d like to come, you are invited to bring “thank you” cards that will be distributed to health department employees. Attendees will also be invited to sign up to “stand in solidarity” with one of the 150 employees of the health department who are working so very hard to protect our community.

I’ll be one of the speakers at the event, but I’m particularly glad to know that a new nonpartisan political action committee, Ottawa Integrity, will be there speaking as well. As they say in the letter of introduction on their website, “Ottawa Integrity is driven by a desire to protect, promote and uphold integrity for the people in our community.” I hope this organization can provide a channeling force for the many residents of our area who want to counter the hate, vitriol and misinformation that continues to persist. You can find out more about Ottawa Integrity at ottawaintegrity.org.

Christians must make it clear that the behavior of some people in our community, the way public servants and officials have been treated, is not in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. And we must work to bring healing to the wounds that have been inflicted, so that those who serve our community can know they are appreciated, respected and supported.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

Christianity, Afghanistan and 'Just War'

Below is my column in today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. 

The withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan, along with the collapse of the Afghanistan government and the resumption of control by the Taliban, has been a painful episode to watch play out over the past couple of weeks. So, I’d like to reflect on this experience a bit, and also take a moment to look at what Christianity traditionally believes about war.

First, I believe our country could have done all of this better. At the same time, I’m grateful for the insight of an American history professor at Boston College, Heather Cox Richardson, who has provided some helpful analysis I’d like to share with you.

The roots of the end of this war occurred when the Trump administration cut a deal with the Taliban in February 2020, agreeing to release 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fighters and to leave the country by May 2021.

That’s right, this is the deal the previous administration cut. And it was a deal that did not involve conversations with the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

When Biden took office in January, only 2,500 troops were left in the country. Biden had to decide whether to go with Trump’s agreement or to begin a new troop surge in violation of the agreement, putting even more U.S. service people at risk after 20 years of war. He delayed the exit date to the end of August (prompting Trump to publicly complain), but proceeded with the withdrawal.

And, as we all know, the Afghan army crumbled in the past weeks. The Taliban has been restored to power, claiming victory over the United States. And the United States government is working on evacuating the remaining Americans in the country, several of whom are Afghan-Americans who are still unsure whether they want to leave or stay.

The violence has not yet stopped. From the attack on the airport in Kabul to the United States attack on a suspected terrorist vehicle that killed 10 civilians, including children, we are seeing more and more the horrible human cost of war, a cost that has been borne for 20 years by all sides in this conflict.

All of this gets us to the question: How do Christians understand war?

Far from thinking America needs to go to the ends of the earth to fight for democracy, as has sometimes been the apparent view in American Christianity, most modern Christian theologians hold to a “Just War” view of the question.

Though “Just War” theory goes back to Greco-Roman philosophy, it was best laid out in Christian understanding by Augustine of Hippo, and later by Thomas Aquinas. In “Just War” theory, there is a resistance to the required violence of war while also recognizing that sometimes it is the lesser of two evils.

In the view of Aquinas, the war must be waged by a lawful government, for a just cause due to a wrong done by those attacked, and with those fighting having a just intent to promote good and avoid evil. Aquinas was also clear that war should always be the last resort, done in the pursuit of justice. Later developments also made it clear that there must be a probability of success and that noncombatants must be protected.

What is so difficult to me about the Afghan conflict is that the original reasons for the conflict have long since disappeared. The original reason for the war given by President George W. Bush was to bring the al-Qaida leaders – who coordinated the 9/11 terrorist attacks – to justice. The Taliban refused to turn them over and so we invaded the country to go get them. Within months, however, al-Qaida fled to Pakistan and the war turned into a battle against the Taliban and us as we sought to build a Western-style democracy.

In the years that have passed, almost all forms of this being a just war have evaporated. It no longer had anything to do with al-Qaida and the wrong done on 9/11, particularly after the capture and death of Bin Laden. The war became a proxy battle, with the Taliban having not inflected any injury on our country other than fighting against our establishment of a different government in their country. Far from a last resort, war became the only tool we used. And as the probability of success dwindled the loss of non-combatant life continued to grow.

As a Christian, I think much of the past 20 years was an immoral use of violence and money with no backing or support in the Christian tradition. I wish we would have exited differently, but even more so I wish we would have exited so much earlier, before the situation had become as bad as it did. And I think, in the end, exiting when we did was simply the lesser of two evils was the path we took.

And I hope we are chastened, as Americans and as a country, and that in the future we will give a much deeper consideration to whether the use of war is indeed the right, just and proper solution to the issues that face us.

About the writer: The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, Tribune community columnist, serves as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven. Information about his parish can be found at www.sjegh.com.

GHAPS Board Needs Support to Protect Our Kids

Below is my column today in the Grand Haven Tribune.

Earlier this week, I attended the August 9 meeting of the Grand Haven Area Public Schools Board of Education. I attended because I wanted to speak during the public comment. The district had recently announced to parents that masks would not be required in the upcoming school year and, with a young daughter beginning young-fives at one of our elementary schools, I wanted to share my concerns about this decision. However, what I heard at that meeting changed what I said.

I arrived about ten minutes after the meeting began (reference the note above that I’ve got a small child at home!) and signed in to speak during the public comment period. The room was packed with area residents and parents. I assumed, given the handful wearing masks, that it was because of this recent announcement. 

My wife and I have recently decided that, given the rise of the Delta variant, we are going to start masking when indoors at public places once more. However, we’d gotten out of the habit and so I didn’t have any in my truck. I tried to tell myself that surely most of those unmasked in the room are vaccinated and that even though vaccinated people can still transmit the Coronavirus—particularly the Delta variant—I was hopefully not in danger.

These are the calculations we all make in this new world we inhabit.

The first person who rose to spoke after I arrived was a recent graduate of the Grand Haven High School. She said she wanted to talk about Critical Race Theory (CRT) and its use in our district. She talked about how CRT teaches people they are racist and is damaging to kids. She shared a story told by an author they read who is a black man. He was walking down the street at night and a younger white woman crossed to the other side with her children, clearly afraid of the large black man in the baggy coat. She said how horrible it was to tell that woman she was doing the wrong thing, when she was just protecting her child.

She was protecting her child… because she assumed black men are dangerous. 

The student was oblivious to the irony in this statement, the reality that had it been a large white man she very likely would have responded differently. Person after person got up to speak against Critical Race Theory, making all kinds of claims about how it damages people and tells them they are bad based upon the color of their skin. 

People talked about masks, too, urging the Board of Education to stand against any requirements that might come from the health department or the CDC. One parent claimed that the people dying in hospitals right now are vaccinated. She said she didn’t have a study to cite, but she knew it was true. (This is patently false—according to data collected by the CDC, more than 97% of people entering hospitals with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.) One parent pointed out that kids could do a saline flush of their nostrils and then swish with Listerine, and that this could be done instead of requiring masks. This parent neglected to note that the researches in the Penn State study said explicitly that “the findings need more testing in clinical settings but could provide another layer of protection to be adopted in addition to wearing masks and social distancing to prevent spread of COVID-19.” Yes, in addition to wearing masks. 

By the time it was my turn to talk, I struggled with what to say. What was clear to me is that our Board of Education is currently trying to stem a tide of misinformation and conspiracy, they are the last line of defense to protect our children against the false claims of so many people who continue to trust their own opinions over those of the scientists and those who study the impacts of race and bias in our culture. 

The first thing I told them was that I wanted to give them all a hug. What a difficult time to be on a Board of Education. I told them I could not imagine how, over the past few years, questions that used to be nonpartisan have become so politicized. It used to be that conservatives and liberals both generally listened to doctors and healthcare professionals, trusting that they are using the best of research to keep us safe. It used to be that conservatives and liberals both agreed that we needed to work to undo the continuing effects of centuries of racism and oppression in our country. Admittedly, there were different approaches at times, but we agreed to follow facts and, most importantly, we agreed that the problems are real. 

This is, sadly, not the world we live in today. 

Critical Race Theory is grounded in the critical theory approach to sociological questions. The whole point of this approach is that social problems come from social structures and cultural assumptions and not from individual intent. It emphasizes listening to the stories of people of color and seeking to understand their experience as they inhabit the system and culture. It is the opposite of telling someone she or he is a racist.

And, contrary to the claims of so many at the Board meeting, we do know that masks make a difference. One parent’s point that cloth masks are not as effective was right—but that parent missed the implication, that kids will be safer with three-layer paper mask protection. 

My daughter just turned five, she cannot have access to a vaccine, and I’m scared that she will be going to school at the end of this month and might have a teacher who is both unvaccinated and unmasked. I hope the Board doesn’t bow to the pressure of the loudest voices in the room. I hope they follow the recommendations of the Ottawa County Department of Public Health and the CDC and require masks for all students until vaccination rates rise high enough and transmission rates decrease enough to make our society safe once more.

When I finished talking, the room was quiet. It had been full of applause after all the previous speakers and I gave into my baser instincts and turned and playfully said, with a smile on my face, “What no applause?” I shouldn’t have baited the crowd and regret it—particularly because the response was heckling so intense that I immediately left the meeting. A high school student followed me out and thanked me for speaking up. He said he had been learning about CRT in school and nothing that people were claiming was true, it wasn’t representative of what kids are being taught. I thanked him for his encouragement.

The Board of Education is under attack… and they are the last line of defense to protect our kids from people who don’t believe in racism and who don’t believe in science. More of us must speak up so that the Board knows that we want our kids to be formed by the best research out there to help them actively work against racism. More of us must speak up so that the Board knows we want them to follow the recommendations of health professionals.