FCPS’s “Women’s History Month” Proclamation Says a Lot

Almost all meetings of the FCPS School Board include one or more “proclamations” to recognize noteworthy people or events, such as the 100th anniversary of a school, black heritage month, school custodians, LGBTQIA+ pride month, immigration heritage month, etc.

A recent proclamation caught my eye because it underscores the ideological bias that permeates FCPS.

The “Women’s History Month” Proclamation

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the FCPS School Board issued a proclamation at its March 19 meeting.  It begins with several  “whereas” clauses, one of which states:

“Women of all races, creeds, and ethnic origins have contributed significantly to the history and development of the United States.  These women include not only the notable Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks and Kamala Harris, Yuri Kochiyama, Patsy Takemoto Mink, Dolores Huerta, Sonia Sotomayor, Felisa Ricon de Gautier, Jovita Idar, Sylvia Mendez, but also many other unsung heroines.”

 This selective listing underscores the ideals of the ideological left.

The Heroines of FCPS Are Unrepresentative

The first four women mentioned in the FCPS proclamation would be on almost everyone’s list of important women in American history (Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks).  The remainder are less well known and are unrepresentative.

They all have three attributes in common:

• • They are members of non-white racial/ethnic groups.
  • They are best known for their work in the political world, rather than in business, science, art, literature, athletics, etc.
  • Their party affiliations and policy interests are or were in line with the political agenda of progressive Democrats.

Kamala Harris obviously satisfies these criteria and needs no further introduction.  The others on the FCPS list are:

• • Yuri Kochiyama — As a child, she was interned during WWII with her Japanese-American parents. As an adult she was active in civil rights causes and was known for her revolutionary nationalist views.  She supported Puerto Rican independence. She was associated with Malcolm X and black nationalist organizations.  She praised Osama bin Laden, comparing him to Malcolm X, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
  • Patsy Takemoto Mink — A woman of Japanese-American heritage who served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives for 24 years, beginning in 1965.  She was the first Asian American elected to Congress.
  • Dolores Huerta — Hispanic-American labor leader and feminist activist.  She co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez.  She was active in Democratic politics, advocating for liberal abortion policies, LGBT interests, and immigration reform.
  • Sonia Sotomayor — Child of Puerto Rican parents.  She was nominated by President Obama as the third woman and the first Hispanic Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.  She has been the most liberal current Supreme Court Justice (at least until the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson).
  • Felisa Ricon de Gautier — Puerto Rican politician.  She was the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico for 22 years, from 1946 to 1968.
  • Jovita Idar —  Child of Mexican parents, living from 1885 to 1994.  She was a journalist who championed the rights of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants.
  • Sylvia Mendez — Child of Mexican and Puerto Rican parents; born in California in 1936.  She is best known because, at age eight, her parents named her as the plaintiff in a landmark case that ended segregation of Mexican Americans in California schools and elsewhere in California society.

These women have all played roles in American history.  But they are a non-diverse group in their own way, and they are unrepresentative of the women who have contributed greatly to U.S. history.

If ideology is put aside, the list would be far more diverse, and more impressive.  For example:

• • The list of pioneering women in Congress might not only include the Democrat Patsy Mink (first Asian American elected to the House, in 1964) but also women such as Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973), who was the first woman elected to Congress (as a Republican in 1916), as well as being a prominent activist for women’s rights and a co-founder of the ACLU.  It might also include, among others, Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), a Republican who was the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress (elected to the House in 1940 and to the Senate in 1948).  She was one of the earliest senators to have the courage to stand up to Joseph McCarthy.  She was also the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for President at a major party convention, in 1964.
  • If Felisa Ricon de Gautier is noteworthy for being elected mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1946, perhaps the list should also include Bertha Landes (1865-1943), who was prominent in women’s organizations and civic reform efforts, and was elected mayor of Seattle, Washington in 1926 (as a Republican).
  • The proclamation singles out Sonia Sotomayor, the third female member of the Supreme Court.  What about the first, Sandra Day O’Connor?  She was nominated by President Reagan in 1981, and she served as a moderate conservative voice on the Court for 25 years.
  • If a contemporary politician like Kamala Harris is a notable woman in American history, shouldn’t others with similar or better credentials be included as well.  For example, Condoleeza Rice (the first African-American female National Security Advisor and Secretary of State), and Nikki Haley (Governor of South Carolina, Ambassador to the United Nations, and the first Indian-American cabinet officer).
  • A good sampling of prominent women in American history wouldn’t be limited to those in the political realm.  It would include women with historical accomplishments in business (e.g., Madam C.J. Walker, Katherine Graham, Muriel Siebert, Oprah Winfrey), aviation (Amelia Earhart), science (e.g., Alice Ball, Chien-Shiung Wu, Katherine Johnson), arts (e.g., Georgia O’Keeffe, Marian Anderson), athletics (e.g., Babe Didrikson, Wilma Rudolph, Billie Jean King), and many others.

Why It Matters

The School Board’s list of important women may seem of no concern.  The proclamation probably hasn’t been read by many, and fewer still will have focused on the one-sidedness of FCPS’s “heroines.”

But the proclamation exemplifies an endemic ideological bias that affects all aspects of the FCPS system.  From teaching materials that urge students to view history through the lens of their separate “identities,” to a massive Equity Department, to its so-called “inclusion” policies, FCPS regularly adopts the agenda of “progressives” and dismisses the values and interests of others.

The Women’s History Month proclamation brings to mind a controversy that arose last year involving a course on women’s history at West Springfield High School.  The course is taught by a teacher who sponsors the school’s Young Democratic Socialists club and Young Democrats club.  Under her tutelage, students hung posters in the school’s hallways to celebrate Women’s History Month.  The posters were in an “A is for Apple” format and included “A is for Abortion,” “F is for Feminism,” “H is for Hope” (with a picture of Kamala Harris), “J is for Justice” (with a picture of Lady Liberty with a clenched fist and depictions of Palestinian and transgender flags), “L is for Liberty (with photos of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, and Michelle Obama), “Q is for Queer,” and “T is for Transgender Women.”

No posters celebrating conservative women or conservative values were included.  The display wasn’t a celebration of women in history; it was a promotion of particular, controversial viewpoints in contemporary America.

The one-sidedness of the high school’s display generated widespread controversy.  Nevertheless, all objections were dismissed by FCPS, which characterized the posters as “thoughtful,” “creative” and examples of “critical thinking.”

Given this background, the School Board’s recent proclamation should surprise no one.  It mirrors how women’s history has actually been taught in the schools.

The School Board’s proclamation recites that Women’s History Month was created “to bring attention to women’s historical achievements.” A worthy objective.  It wasn’t created to focus only on minority women or to promote particular political views.  It was intended to unite, not to divide.

Unfortunately, FCPS seems to have a narrow, ideological view of whose achievements are noteworthy.

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