The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.
This is an editorial we shouldn’t have to write.
We aren’t naive. We know racism and racist people exist, across the country and in Maine. Still, we are sometimes shocked that these people are emboldened to share their racism in such open and threatening ways.
That latest example is a disgusting email that was sent to the diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator for the South Portland school system. Mohammed Albehadli was so upset by the email that he quit his job, and may leave Maine.
Superintendent Timothy Matheney described the message as “the most vile email” he’s seen in his 35-year career. The email is being investigated by South Portland police and the Cumberland County district attorney’s office, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations has asked federal and state law enforcement to investigate the email as a possible hate crime.
Matheney did not provide the full email to the Portland Press Herald, which first reported about it. But he provided this sickening excerpt:
“White parents don’t want their children going to school with black and brown kids who don’t belong in the United States,” one part of the email reads. “White people in Maine don’t appreciate what you are trying to do in [South] Portland.”
Matheney and South Portland School Board Chair Jennifer Ryan stressed that the diversity, equity and inclusion work will continue.
“We will continue that work and not allow the vocal minority to deter us from our long-term goals,” Ryan told the Press Herald.
“I think this is a reality check for all of us that hatred and racism is in our region and in our very midst, and we need to continue to work on ensuring a safe place for all our families regardless of their race, ethnicity or other differences,” Matheney said.
We understand Albehadli’s fear and frustration. It is a loss to everyone when people like him are driven out of these jobs and our communities, even those who feel threatened by Albehadli and his work. Perhaps more than anyone, it is these people who need to engage with different ideas and people, and grow from that experience.
The person who threatened Albehadli didn’t do so because they are strong and powerful. They did so because they likely feel weak and insecure. They likely feel unsettled, maybe even threatened, by the changes that are happening in this country. Although it is sometimes difficult, and progress toward equality is frustratingly slow and uneven, America, in general, is becoming more diverse and more tolerant. That is a good thing.
More important, the author of this malicious email doesn’t speak for Mainers, or even the residents of South Portland.
Like us, many people here do appreciate work to ensure Maine is a welcoming and increasingly diverse state. Many people here do want their children to go to school with children of different races and backgrounds. And to suggest that some Black and Brown kids don’t belong in the U.S. is just plain offensive. Black and Brown people have been in the U.S. for centuries, many of them longer than the families of current white residents.
While there has been a backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion work, like what Albehadli led, there also has been much-needed backlash against white supremacy in Maine. Last year, the leader of a neo-Nazi group said he was abandoning plans for a training ground in Springfield because people had made it “too dangerous” to continue his vile work in Maine.
Still, hate crimes are on the rise, nationally and in Maine. That, and the shameful intimidation of Albehadli, are a reminder to the majority of Mainers who are not hateful that there is a lot of work yet to be done to support people of all backgrounds who have chosen to make the Pine Tree State their home.
