Fargo Human Rights Commission Issues Statement on Intolerance and Hate

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(Fargo, ND) – The City of Fargo Human Rights Commission has released a statement in response to recent comments and actions by some community members following the Fargo School Board’s decision to rescind , and then to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance at their regular board meetings.

In the statement released on WDAY Radio, the commission said, “In light of recent events, the City of Fargo Human Rights Commission wishes to express its concern at the intolerance and hatred observed and directed against the others. As a Commission, we denounce any expression of hatred directed against any citizen or elected official. We condemn such actions and are disturbed by their prevalence. As a matter of principle, hatred must be confronted at every turn.

The comments come after a beleaguered week and a half for the school board, which originally voted 7-2 to remove the pledge from its agenda on Aug. 9, only to later reverse that decision after an 8-1 vote Thursday night at the following a backlash over the decision. . Part of this backlash included hateful and racist comments to some of the council members who had originally voted to withdraw the pledge from council meetings.

“Everyone should be able to live without fear of prejudice, discrimination, violence and hatred based on race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation,” the commission said in the unified statement. “We urge all residents of the City of Fargo to respect and honor our diverse community and to celebrate and create a culture of inclusion and acceptance. We invite diverse discussion and dialogue, and offer our support to our local community leaders and we ask that the community stand up against hate.”

Many school board members have indicated that they intend to stick with their decision to withdraw the commitment, but the pressure placed on the district by the move has forced their hand to, hopefully, kick off a smooth start to the school year.

You can read more about the school board’s Thursday vote by clicking here.

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