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NAACP Backs ‘Let Them Die’ Official, Says Parents Criticizing School Board Over Critical Race Theory Are ‘Anti-Children’

'Those who are speaking out against our teachers, school board members, and students represent a way of thinking that is anti-children.'

   DailyWire.com
Filmed by Asra Nomani, used with permission

The NAACP of Fairfax County, Virginia, defended its vice president who appeared to say “let them die!” about parents who object to critical race theory, with the NAACP asserting that parents who petition elected officials about public policy affecting their children are “anti-children.”

On Thursday, parents gathered outside a school board meeting for a “Stop CRT Rally,” while Michelle Leete spoke at a counter-protest in which she criticized the protesters, saying:

Let’s deny this off-key band of people that are anti-education, anti-teacher, anti-equity… Let them die. Don’t let these uncomfortable people deter us from our bold march forward.

Leete was vice president of the state PTA, the county PTA, and the county NAACP. The state PTA initially said it would implement “sensitivity training” in response, but after it became a sustained public relations problem, the group said that “we don’t condone the choice of words” and that she had resigned. Her name also disappeared from the county PTA website.

The NAACP, by contrast, on Sunday said “We stand firmly by our 1st Vice President and her work in the past, present and future… We must be diligent and stalwart against those who use falsehoods to silence our community leaders.

“Those who are speaking out against our teachers, school board members, and students represent a way of thinking that is anti-children. We believe that these archaic ideals should be left in the past so we can create a safer, more inclusive environment for our students and teachers.”

“We will not be silenced and will continue to fight against the injustices and discrimination that permeates our society.”

Leete also found support in the crowd she was speaking to, which burst into cheers and applause immediately after she said “let them die!”

Asra Nomani, a parent and education activist who caught Leete’s speech on video, said on Sunday that the small crowd consisted of top Democratic party insiders and officials. She produced a video that showed Bryan Graham, the chair of the county Democratic party, helping set up Leete’s appearance.

According to the agenda for that school board meeting that took place minutes later, the board was set to appoint Graham to a “citizen advisory committee.” Graham did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire.

Nomani said the applauding group also included the head of the teachers union, Kimberly Adams; state senator Jennifer Boysko; and George Alber, a member of the county’s human rights commission.

None of the twelve Democrats on the Fairfax County school board appear to have condemned Leete’s remarks.

Last month, Democratic officials likened parents who wanted schools to be open — despite teachers unions’ ever-shifting coronavirus demands — to the Ku Klux Klan.

Graham posted to Twitter an image of a letter that he claimed the KKK had dropped off at someone’s house in the Democrat-heavy, suburban jurisdiction and said he “redacted the URL [of the KKK] because I didn’t want to give OpenFCPS folks any ideas,” referring to a group of parents of all backgrounds who advocated for schools to re-open to in-person learning as the coronavirus lockdown dragged on.

State Delegate Marcus Simon joined in, saying at a rally, “I’m not saying everybody who supports Open FCPS is a member of the KKK, but when the KKK is on your side, you need to rethink your priorities.”

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