Dover school board's Columbus vote reignites debate on 'accomplishments and atrocities'

The Dover Board of Education addressed the controversy surrounding the "complex legacy of Christopher Columbus" on Tuesday, adopting a resolution that recognized Columbus’s role in exploration history but also noted that his story is "fraught with a complex mixture of accomplishments and atrocities."

With two board members absent, the resolution passed by a 6-1 vote following a brief discussion. The board first amended the language to acknowledge that the district already included, and would continue to provide, a curriculum highlighting "both his achievements and the devastating impact of his actions on the indigenous peoples of the Americas."

"Be it finally resolved that the Dover Board of Education commits to promoting an inclusive curriculum that recognizes the contributions of all cultures and peoples, while also acknowledging the dark chapters," the resolution concludes.

The resolution, which "encourages" rather than requires educators to "provide a balanced and historically accurate account of Christopher Columbus," follows in the wake of two other fierce debates about the explorer in Morris County in recent years. Some local residents, conservative activists and Italian-American groups have pushed back against modern accounts that stress the negative consequences of his cross-ocean journey.

Local debate goes viral

In neighboring Randolph, the school board drew national attention in 2021 after it decided to replace Columbus Day with "Indigenous People's Day" on the district calendar. After hundreds of angry protestors packed its next meeting, the board voted to eliminate all holiday names from the calendar, causing more furor. Eventually, as national TV crews descended, school officials put Columbus Day back on the calendar.

In June 2020, amid the tensions of the COVID pandemic and George Floyd's murder, groups on both sides of the controversy confronted each other at a monument to the Genoan sailor outside the Parsippany municipal building. About 100 pro-Columbus protestors, including members of the local Sons of Italy chapter, stopped afternoon traffic on Route 46 as they crossed the highway, waving U.S. and Italian flags.

Back in Dover on Tuesday, board Vice President Scott Miller cast the lone vote against the resolution, arguing that while he approved of the curriculum, he saw no need for a resolution stating what the district "is doing already."

What Dover board had to say

Board member Krista Seanor responded that "for me, the purpose of this resolution is to highlight our commitment to teaching standards. Teaching our children about the messiness of American history and acknowledging this is important to us and our community."

"If we make a statement about this, do we make a statement about everything we're doing, just because we want people to know?" Miller asked.

"I think maybe, sometimes we do have to reiterate certain things and highlight certain things," countered board member Dahiana Grisales, who introduced the resolution. "I think that's important as a way of being supportive and inclusive."

More: Was Christopher Columbus a murderer? A hero? Italian? Breaking down the myths

Supporters didn't mention any specific incident that prompted the vote. The K-12 district is among the most diverse in Morris County. About two-thirds of the town is Hispanic or Latino and another 9% are Black, according to federal data.

"I think there are times when we can, as board members, use our platform to highlight certain things that are important to our culture, to our community, to our country," added fellow member Benjamin Robles. "I know it's been a hot topic for many years and it's led to some unfortunate events. For me, I think it doesn't do any harm to highlight it in this way."

Former board member Susan Shauer was the lone speaker during the meeting's public session to reference the resolution. She agreed with Miller's skepticism.

"If the board is going to make a stand and make a resolution on every item that's the hot topic of today, you may get the warm fuzzies among each other, and that's great," said Shauer, who sat on the board from 2003 to 2017 and served as its president from 2006 to 2017. "But you're going to miss something. There's going to be that one thing you didn't jump on, and the community is going to notice that."

Shauer advised the board to "stay in your lane, developing and encouraging and providing strong curriculum for the district."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Dover NJ school board revives Christopher Columbus controversy