Mayor Hilliard: Reject Commissioner Edelblut's exclusionary vision of public education

The protector and advancement of our Republic lies within our public school system. It is the great equalizer where the values of our democracy as outlined within our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are not only promoted, but instilled upon the next generation who will carry the torch towards our nation's fulfillment of its creed that all are created equal “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

Each morning when the students arrive, they are entering a place of hope; hope to receive the support to achieve their dreams, hope to be honored and celebrated for who they are. The hope of our nation is embedded in the teachings and in the understanding of our successes and failures as a society. Through understanding we continue to inch forward in achieving our universal dreams of becoming a nation where all are protected, valued, and celebrated.

The recent troubling guest commentary by the Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut not only contradicts the goal of our public school system but is an attack upon the foundational pillars of our nation and the advancement of equality.

However, I am not surprised by the rhetoric outlined within his commentary, for it matches his actions and goals throughout his tenure, the dismantling of the institution which has ensured the equality and advancement of our state and nation since its founding, our public school system. The commissioner utilized the same scare tactics and diatribe which has justified the practices of inequality throughout the history of our young nation. As Edelblut himself stated “Fortunately, parents can choose to turn off Disney”. The commissioner’s goal as outlined would not stop at a simple action of a choice of what television program to turn off. The goal would be to return to the days when it was common practice throughout our nation to choose who we valued as citizens, who was invited to the banquet of liberty and equality and who was left out or as he stated, “turned off”.

More: Edelblut: Effective NH teachers keep bias out of their classrooms

It would appear from his commentary that Commissioner's Edleblut’s goal is to create a public school system that does not continue our step forward to equality, but allows a return of openly justifying the denial of rights to groups of citizens based upon the justification of “family values”.

Luckily, these practices fall against the fabric of the Hilltop City.

In 1729, the parish of Somersworth was founded, beginning the 293-year journey, which has established Somersworth as a modern day city. Throughout our history, we have been defined by the citizens who have built this community and the vastly diverse backgrounds they have brought with them. From the early English settlers to members of the Indonesian community, each group sought refuge in a community where they would be protected, accepted and celebrated.

Today, 293 years after our founding, we are guided by the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence and re-affirmed in the United States Constitution; that all citizens are created equal, that each of us have been endowed by the creator with certain unalienable rights, and that despite our comfort level and misunderstandings of each other, we will continue to build upon the progression of the generation of Americans who came before us, to create a society where all will be validated and protected. These values are reaffirmed within our public school system.

Like the City of Somersworth, The New Hampshire public school system must stand strong against Edleblut’s advice and instead continue its practices based upon the guiding universal truths outlined within the principles of our nation. The struggles and challenges of America to achieve its creed, is a struggle worth fighting for. It is our struggle, mirrored in our history which reminds us of the Americans who were denied the rights and liberties we were promised. Americans who were excluded from the table of liberty because of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, creed, national origin or handicap.

Each of us shares a common bond with those who have been denied the promise of America, we belong to one of their groups, and through the evolution of our society reinforced by the teachings within our public school system, most of us have escaped the pain, suffering and horrors of intolerance and discrimination.

For some of us, in 2022 the injustice and daily encounters with hate continue. For some of us, the fear of harm or death upon our loved ones or ourselves is a reality of the nation and world we live in. I, myself have come to terms with the fact that out of our 50 United States, there may be some I can never visit, simply out of the fear of repression, intolerance, and violence as a gay man.

How have Edelblut’s words affected the students within the public school system he has been entrusted upon to offer hope? Should they now be taught that some of them should be denied a seat at the banquet of liberty for who they are?

Despite his words, as Hilltoppers we will continue forward, with the same faith and hope which won this nation its independence. We continue to work towards building a city, state, and nation where all will be celebrated, accepted and treated with the dignity each person deserves. These are the values which need to continue to be openly taught and supported within our public school system. A public school system that is committed to the values of our nation, not the agenda of a return to the America outlined within some of the darkest pages of our history books.

Each day within the Somersworth school system, our “Proud Past, Bright Future” are celebrated through the acknowledgement that we are all linked together by a common thread, the thread of our humanity. While this thread will differ in the languages we speak, the customs we practice and the faith we hold, or choose not to, in the Hilltop City we are all united by the common bond of our sisterhood and brotherhood. While each of us is different, we are all Hilltoppers, Americans and humans. It is through this understanding of our differences that Somersworth has emerged as NH’s Welcoming City. A city which has and will continue to open its arms for all, and protect all who are dedicated to the values of equality and human dignity. A city that will remain committed to passing on these values to each young Hilltopper who walks through the hallways of our schools.

In the Hilltop City, NH’s Welcoming City we rise above the level of just tolerating each other. Here we strive to create a community where differences are welcomed. We have long abandoned the practices of drawing invisible lines, or creating a society where individuals are deemed with value as long as they remain within their corners, their neighborhood or ghetto's, silent or in the “closet”. It seems Edelblut’s goal is to revert our public school system into an institution that openly embraces these practices of hate and division.

In our 10 square mile community, we instead embrace that our home is and always has been composed of; English, Irish, Greek, French and Indonesian. We are home to those of faith; Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims and those whose faith does not encompass a god, but the faith in the progression of humanity. Each believer and non-believer sharing in the bond of their commitment to continue keeping Somersworth “On the Move”. This commitment is reflected in the daily practices of the guardians of our values, our public school educators.

We are a city of straights, gays and transgender, a city of police, fire and first responders, a city of lawyers, doctors and service workers, a city of tradespeople and military. All, with hopes and dreams for ourselves, family and children. We are united by the common vision of creating a community, state and nation with “liberty and justice for all”. Are these the values that the Edelblut sees as a threat to the family? Are these the values which should be forcibly removed from the teachings within our school system, the values which have not only advanced our community, but our state and nation?

While the Commissioner Edleblut and I will continue to greatly disagree on the purpose of our public school system and the values which will help our nation achieve its creed, I do wish to thank him for his recent commentary. Edleblut’s article helped to foster attention that the journey towards achieving equality, freedom and justice for all citizens has not ended, and that those who subscribe to denying inalienable and constitutional rights to citizens are still among us in 2022.

In order for us to become a nation where all are created equal, we must overcome some of the barriers that test our upbringing, faiths or individual comfort levels.

If we strip our public schools of the ability to embrace open dialogue as Edleblut suggests, and ban the context of their teaching, we return to the practices and justification of exclusion, discrimination and the use of age-old rhetoric to justify actions which divide, hinder, and destroy the promise of America.

In the 10 square mile community known as Somersworth, we will continue “On the Move” as NH’s Hilltop Welcoming City. We will continue to learn from each other, to acknowledge and celebrate our differences and to build a community where all are committed to the values of democracy. We will embrace each other as neighbors, brothers and sisters. We will continue to work towards seeking and finding common ground, by uniting on the issues which will progress our community while practicing respect, dignity and civility to each other. These are the values which reflect our community, our state, our nation, these are the values which will continue to be the foundation of our schools. The theme this year for the Somersworth school district is “One”; One faculty, One student body, One family, One community, One district. I invite Commissioner Edelblute to follow the Hilltoppers lead of creating public schools and a community where all are valued, respected and celebrated for who they are, where all are viewed as “One”.

Dana Hilliard is the mayor of Somersworth, NH and is the city school district's director of operations.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Mayor Hilliard: Reject Edelblut's exclusionary vision of public education