Hunter
07/29/21
The public showed up in full force to support the Iowa City Community School District’s curriculum after a speaker interrupted the last meeting with a rant about diversity and inclusion that ended with him flashing a “white power” symbol.
The Daily Iowan reports that Johnson County resident Joseph Dobrian told anecdotal stories of frustrated parents over the curriculum and the district-wide diversity and equity newsletter.
KCJJ previously reported that school board Vice President Ruthina Malone, a Black woman, has been the subject of racial slurs and offensive name-calling on several occasions. The Iowa Freedom Riders said that Dobrian intentionally sat in front of Malone at the previous meeting in an attempt to intimidate her.
ICCSD President Shawn Eyestone opened the public comment time at Tuesday night’s meeting by addressing Dobrian directly about the “white power” hand gesture, saying that if he or anyone else repeats such actions, they will be removed from the building.
The DI reports that Dobrian again expressed his frustration, accusing the board of not sharing which parts of the curriculum are being reviewed, what parts of the original curriculum they found objectionable, and what the district proposes to replace them with. Dobrian is quoted as saying, “This is particularly unsettling in view of the district’s stated intention to review material for ‘cultural inclusiveness’, which is ambiguous and often code for far-left, identity politics.”
Several attendees stood up to support the board’s review of the social studies curriculum.