Fargo Human Rights Commission releases statement on intolerance and hatred

Photo by: City of Fargo
Photo by: City of Fargo

(Fargo, ND) -- The City of Fargo's Human Rights Commission has issued a statement in response to the recent comments and actions of some in the community in the wake of the Fargo School Board's decision to nix, then reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance to their regular board meetings.

In the statement released to WDAY Radio, the commission says "Considering recent events, The City of Fargo Human Rights Commission would like to express its concern of the intolerance and hatred being observed and directed toward others. As a Commission, we denounce any expression of hate directed toward a citizen or elected official. We condemn these actions and are troubled by their prevalence. As a matter of principle, hate must be confronted at every turn."

The comments come after an embattled week and a half for the school board, who originally voted 7-2 to remove the pledge from their agenda on August 9th, only to overturn that decision after a 8-1 vote Thursday night following backlash over the decision. Some of that backlash included hateful and racist comments to some of the board members who originally voted to remove the pledge from the board meetings.

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

Many on the school board noted they intended to stand by their decision to remove the pledge, but the pressure put on district by the move forced their hand to hopefully kick-off a smooth start to the school year.

You can find out more about the school board's Thursday vote by clicking here.