What do you get when you infuse an impassioned group of impressionable, conservative women willing to forgo their own perspective for a sense of belonging and perceived purpose with a community that undervalues those same women, is easily fooled by conspiracy theories and enshrines qualities of being loud over being a listener; spurious, rehearsed rhetoric over true community values and conniving platforms over common sense principles?

The only school district on Long Island with an all male Board of Education.

Misogyny can be defined of a hatred or mistrust of women. But rarely does it present that plainly. Instead it’s like a snake in the tall grass. So camouflaged with each green blade, it’s green scales are nearly undetectable. It is deeply ingrained, firmly institutionalized and deftly woven into the fabric of tradition. A heavily Catholic community so used to prejudice of women being the “way of the world according to the Bible” that it barely recognizes how far behind reality it has fallen, or how harmful it can be.

Why do these men feel entitled to own all of the opinions and direction of our schools and communities, which, arguably, are at least 50% female? Why do women reinforce their inferior, “traditional” roles, resigned to caring for the home and the children within their property lines but not worthy enough to broaden their roles to lead in the schools in which their children learn and grow?

It is no secret that the most recent candidate elect for the East Islip Board of Education was endorsed by the politically motivated, anti-government, alt-right group called Moms For Liberty. Timothy Sassone freely championed parental “control” and “curriculum transparency,” both buzz-phrases for meaningless rhetoric that, at it’s heart, aims to pull books off of shelves (including biographies of Martin Luther King Jr, and essentially anything that highlights race), defund public schools (rerouting tax money to supplement private schools where their faux-Christian hyperbole would be reinforced) and obliterate any conversation that would educate, elevate or celebrate individuals in marginalized communities.

And no, Tim, the police are not a marginalized community, in any sense.

The ignorance of these statements are infuriating to those who either pay attention to the harm it causes or to the actual data-driven scholars that clearly cite the urgency for equity, diversity and inclusion to be at the forefront of our focus and foundation.

Our community is only as strong as our weakest link. When we do not distribute resources to the areas and the residents who need it the most, to encourage equity, to build trust, to fortify relationships, cultivate connections or celebrate each other, we will never flourish. It is clear that “parental rights” becomes a guise for othering all those who don’t fit the white, Christian male or submissive female mold; those in low income households, first generation Americans, LGBTQA+ students, strong minded young women or black, brown or indigenous minorities. When we allow these beliefs to dictate our policies, we have done a disservice to every child within our district lines.

Every child will one day step out of the halls of East Islip High School and into a richly diverse, intellectually challenging, practical and fast-paced world and our job as an educational system is to prepare them to be compassionate, open-minded, ambitious, worthy, dedicated, self-motivated individuals and good citizens. This is how we can decrease college attrition rates, mental health crises and crippling parental dependence.

When we do not even value the perspective of a woman or a mother enough to vote in capable, qualified, female candidates, how can we also expect ambitious goals from our female students? What are we teaching those onlookers who see old white men in power everywhere they turn? Representation is powerful. Perspective offers diversity and diversity results in strength.

Imagine a hammock but all the fibers flow in the same direction. If you were to sit on it, you would fall through. But then imagine a fabric that is interwoven with threads in all directions. That is a fabric that is impermeable. That is a strong resting place and a solid foundation. That is what we need to demand at all levels of leadership in our school district.

We will have more opportunities to make the East Islip Board of Education reflective of our community. My only hope is that our residents can look beyond their individual experience to recognize the immense value in diversity and perspective in authoritative roles throughout our school district and in our community.