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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 24 July 2023

School board in Missouri, now controlled by conservatives,

revokes anti-racism resolution

By JIM SALTER has it really been?"
Associated Press Since the resolution was
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — In adopted, the makeup of
the national reckoning that the board has flipped. Just
followed the police killing of two board members re-
George Floyd three years main from 2020. Five new
ago, about 2,000 protesters members elected in April
took to the streets in a St. 2022 and April 2023 had
Louis suburb and urged the the backing of the conser-
mostly white Francis Howell vative political action com-
School District to address mittee Francis Howell Fami-
racial discrimination. The lies.
school board responded In 2021, the PAC described
with a resolution promising the anti-racism resolution as
to do better. "woke activism" and draft-
Now the board, led by ed an alternative resolution
new conservative board to oppose "all acts of racial
members elected since discrimination, including
last year, has revoked that the act of promoting tenets
anti-racism resolution and of the racially-divisive Criti-
copies of it will be removed cal Race Theory, labels of
from school buildings. white privilege, enforced
The resolution passed in Au- equity of outcomes, identi-
gust 2020 "pledges to our Kimberly Thompson, center, listens as Francis Howell School Board members talk in favor of ty politics, intersectionalism,
rescinding all previously passed resolutions, including an anti-racism resolution, during a meeting
learning community that on Thursday, July 20, 2023 in O'Fallon, Mo. and Marxism."
we will speak firmly against Associated Press Cook, who was elected in
any racism, discrimination, 2022 and sponsored the
and senseless violence with political action groups vote to adopt the resolu- ment. revocation, said there is no
against people regardless successfully electing candi- tion." "This resolution means hope plan to adopt that alterna-
of race, ethnicity, nation- dates promising to take ac- While a few others also will to me, hope of a better tive or any other.
ality, immigration status, tion against teachings on be canceled, the anti-rac- Francis Howell School Dis- "In my opinion, the school
religion, sexual orientation, race and sexuality, remove ism resolution was clearly trict," Thompson said. "It board doesn't need to be
gender identity, or ability. books deemed offensive the focus. Dozens of peo- means setting expectations in the business of dividing
"We will promote racial and stop transgender-in- ple opposed to its revo- for behavior for students the community," Cook said.
healing, especially for our clusive sports teams. cation packed the board and staff regardless of their "We just need to stick to the
Black and brown students The Francis Howell district meeting, many holding personal opinions." business of educating stu-
and families," the resolution is among Missouri's largest, signs reading, "Forward, not The board's vice president, dents here and stay out of
states. "We will no longer be with 17,000 students, about backward." Randy Cook, said phrases the national politics."
silent." 87% of whom are white. The Kimberly Thompson, who in the resolution such as Many districts are dealing
The board's decision fol- vote, which came during is Black, attended Francis "systemic racism" aren't de- with debates over topics
lows a trend that began an often contentious meet- Howell schools in the 1970s fined and mean different mislabeled as critical race
with backlash against CO- ing Thursday, rescinded and 1980s, and her two things to different people. theory. School administra-
VID-19 pandemic policies resolutions 75 days after "a children graduated from Another board member, tors say the scholarly theory
in places around the na- majority of current Board of the district. She described Jane Puszkar, said the reso- centered on the idea that
tion. School board elec- Education members were several instances of racism lution served no purpose. racism is systemic in the
tions have become intense not signatories to the reso- and urged the board to "What has it really done," nation's institutions is not
political battlegrounds, lution or did not otherwise stand by its 2020 commit- she asked. "How effective taught in K-12 schools.q

Say goodbye to Bodypainting Day, New York

City’s annual celebration of nudity and artistry

artists turn your skin into a ways of empowering and since 2007, started the an-
work of art, you may have bringing people together, nual body painting extrav-
missed your chance. including a new event aganza to underscore that
Sunday's Bodypainting Day next spring. After Sunday's nudity for artistic purposes is
will be the final edition after body painting is finished, legal in New York City.
more than a decade of art- the participating artists and That hasn't stopped po-
ists turning nude bodies into models will march through lice from trying to halt the
works of art. Organizer Andy Greenwich Village, pose event. In 2011, Golub said,
Golub expects more than for a photo in Washington he and two models were
50 people will be painted Square Park, ride a double- arrested and detained for
A model painted by an artist poses during Human Connection over four hours in Manhat- decker bus over the Man- 24 hours, but the charges
Arts Annual NYC Bodypainting Day in Union Square Park on tan's Union Square. Golub hattan Bridge and end the were dropped once au-
Sunday, July 23, 2023, in New York. decided this year's event day with a party in Brook- thorities determined they
Associated Press would be the last because lyn, Golub said. were doing nothing illegal.
By AYESHA MIR ever dreamed of standing it's time to "move on and Golub, an artist and free "You'll find there's a lot of
Associated Press naked in New York City with clear that plate." He said speech activist who's been people that have been re-
NEW YORK (AP) — If you've dozens of strangers while he wants to find different painting on nude models ally impacted positively,"q