Letter To The Editor: Diamond Shouldn't Be On Croton School Board

Dear Editor,

I recently read a post online that asked “what are YOU doing to support your local schools?” That question resonated with me, not because of the actual question itself, but rather because it was posed by Mr. Joshua Diamond: a three-term member of the Croton Harmon Board of Education who is seeking re-election to the Board for his fourth consecutive term. I am writing today because his behavior amongst the Croton Community leads me to believe that he has no business being a member of the Board of Education.

After his demonstrably irresponsible online rhetoric caused the inflammation of racial tensions in Croton last Memorial Day Weekend, I began to pay very close attention to the things that Mr. Diamond posts – publicly – on social media. His posts are disturbing and do not comport with the established CHUFSD Policy regarding School Board Member Ethics. I wish to highlight here not his post that links to a report that portrays police officers as nothing more than “white supremacists” and “far-right militants;” nor his post that links to an article that blatantly states that those who show patriotism for our country “simply want to preserve white supremacy” and are thus “determined to kill America;” nor his own post stating that “he is OK” with “reducing the population of anti-vaccine people” through “disease and disability” or death. On the contrary, I wish to highlight his posts that publicly denigrate members of the Christian faith, particularly those of European ancestry and light skin tone.

• On Thanksgiving 2021, he wrote about “white xian [Christian] Europeans,” and how it is a “stupid idea” to “trust” them;
• In July 2021, he posted a link to a Washington Post article that outlined a potentially growing Christian political movement, and stated how the article was “quite possibly one of the most terrifying things that [he has] read this year;”
• In June 2021, he decried the existence of “nearly-all-white-male-christian-native-born state legislatures” and further condemned “the nearly-all-white-male-christian-native-born US Congress;”
• Lastly, on Good Friday 2021, the most somber day in the Christian Liturgical Calendar, he posted a link to an article that characterized Good Friday as anti-Jewish, based in part, on a tenuous interpretation of the scripture reading of the day: the Gospel of Saint John.

Taken together, these writings cannot be cast aside as merely being taken out of context, or rooted in a misunderstanding of the “nuance” of his language. Whereas the words themselves are disrespectful, the essence behind those words is what carries forward their truly offensive nature. The essence is tantamount to a repeated, public, and blatant marginalization of a particular group (in this case, Christians), based on nothing more than a broad, generalized perception that is not rooted in any semblance of reality.

To draw attention to these offensive posts – and numerous others – I submitted a public comment to the Board of Education for its January 2022 Business Meeting. I suggested that the board create, implement, and enforce a social media policy for its members, since much of the Community sees no distinction between a Board Member posting as an individual versus a Board Member posting in an official capacity. During the “Polling of the Board” segment of that meeting, there was discussion amongst the Board Members regarding the feasibility and desire to implement such a policy. Two of the Board Members alluded to the existence of a previously formed “agreement” amongst them that is designed to keep their online interactions with the Community from being a detractor to the overall work of the Board, and by extension, to the School District and its stakeholders. Notably, Mr. Diamond attempted to deflect the offensive nature of his posts and further tried to justify them by stating that they are rooted in “uncomfortable truths” and his “inherited trauma.” As such, he believes that what he is doing is not only acceptable, but also excusable because it is Constitutionally-protected.

His campaign literature continues to project this belief and attempts to rationalize it almost to a point where it is a demand for acceptance, as it is framed as being for the children’s overall “empowerment.” That is wrong on so many levels. Nobody is “empowered” when they are publicly and repeatedly marginalized or disparaged. Further, nobody is “empowered” when they take affirmative steps to repeatedly and publicly marginalize or disparage others, either. Moreover, there are limits to what is considered acceptable public speech.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution affords everyone the right to free public speech so long as it is reasonable. For instance, American jurisprudence has long held that just because one has the right to free speech, it does not mean that they can yell “fire!” in a crowded theater, or that they can make any other public statements they have reason to believe or know to be false. In the same vein, the First Amendment does not absolve bigoted public speech. Therefore, those who engage in bigoted public speech, especially those who are elected officials, must be held accountable.

Regarding the present issue, there is a very big difference between highlighting a potentially “uncomfortable truth” and using it respectfully as a teachable moment that maintains the dignity for all involved, as opposed to repeatedly and publicly marginalizing people along ethnic and religious lines. As a Board Member, you cannot write such explicitly offensive missives and then run on a platform of equality and empowerment. Aside from the blatant contradiction in action, it does not send an acceptable message to our children – the future leaders of our Community, our Nation, and our World – to re-elect someone who apparently believes that persons of European ancestry and Christian faith are inferior in our society. Our children should never be made to feel shame about who they are, or how they worship their God, or anything else for that matter.

My fellow members of the Croton Community and I advocate for kindness, respect, tolerance, and dignity, and many of us proclaim that “hate has no home here.” Since we are good at “talking the talk,” now we must “walk the walk.” Many in the Community cheered after the last Presidential election and were hopeful that “dignity would be restored” to the Office, in part because there would be no more offensive online commentary from our President. So why should we tolerate the same kind of offensive online commentary from an elected official within our own little piece of small-town America? Together, we must send a message that bigoted public speech is unacceptable, unethical, and most of all, detrimental to the children who attend the schools over which Mr. Diamond exerts influence.

I close with his statement from Election Day 2020: “if you vote for a bigot, then you are a bigot.”

Respectfully,

Daniel Bennett

Croton-on-Hudson