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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

I will wear my Jedi costume to the July 9th meeting of the Rockingham County Board of Education to protest the uniforms

And I invite anyone else who wants to protest the board's indifference toward us on the school uniforms issue to likewise come dressed as outrageously as they wanna be (within reason of course).

I had originally thought to come to the meeting wearing V's costume from V for Vendetta, but won't do that out of respect for public safety concerns. That, and because it would be really hard to speak to the board from behind a Guy Fawkes mask.

Please, if you want to join along with this protest, do not wear something that has a full-face mask.

The board - for the most part anyway - is not listening to us. They apparently paid not one whit of attention to what we had to say to them when we spoke during public comments at Monday night's meeting.

Even if they refuse to pay attention to our words, we can make them pay attention to us all the same. Let them have no choice but to see us show that we do not want the Standard Mode of Dress.

I intend to go to the July 9th meeting at the Central Office at 6 P.M. (not the previously-used time of 7 P.M., meetings now start at 6) in full Jedi regalia from the Star Wars movies. And I will address the board in such attire. That's all I plan to do. The protest will go no further than how I will have chosen to dress for the evening and my remarks to the board, which will be as respectful as they were at Monday night's meeting.

And I ask anyone and everyone else who does not want the Standard Mode of Dress at Reidsville Middle School and Reidsville High School, who is likewise frustrated with the board's unwillingness to acknowledge our opposition, to do the same thing. Show up in something that under any other circumstance you would not wear to a Board of Education meeting. Wear a Halloween costume or a funny hat or a gimmicky t-shirt or even a sign taped to your regular shirt that reads something about your being opposed to the uniforms. Sign up before the meeting to speak if you feel led to do so. Be courteous... but stern... with your remarks to the board.

In every other way let it be a normal meeting of the Rockingham County Board of Education... except that the board will have to confront not only our verbally-stated concerns, but a daringly visual - and peaceful - show of mass resistance to the Standard Mode of Dress.

Let's turn that boardroom into the set of Let's Make A Deal.

And don't think for a moment that this won't be covered in some way. There will be cameras, including video cameras. I will be contacting all of the local media outlets and even quite a few others to let them know about this next meeting and the intended protest of the school uniforms.

Yes, this is - admittedly - a stunt. But at this point I see no other way how to force the board to acknowledge us, and the fact that we do not want the uniforms at the schools, and why it is that we do not want the uniforms.

If the board refuses to hear us out, then it's up to us to escalate our peaceful resistance of the uniforms to the next level: one that, unless they are blind in eye and mind, they cannot help but take note of.

July 9th. The Central Office in Eden. 6 P.M. I will be there in full Jedi costume to speak to the board.

And I cordially invite everyone else who wishes to do so to also express to the board in their own fashion their frustration at how we are being ignored.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris,

You are absolutely hilarious! Go for it and I want to have pictures of you in your get up at the meeting to post on my wall!! The board is gonna flip and I'm gonna laugh my head off. I saw you on StarNews, you did a good job! See yah there!
-Brittany

Anonymous said...

Heyba Chris:

I's respect whatcha trying ta do with the school board. Maybe a Jedi uniform is a lil too trekkie cultish for me but I's got some more suggestions for ya'll. First, Billy Bob got to dress like a Klansman being the big racist he is. Then hows about a nice Scarlett Letter costume for that adulterer super. Not everyone can affords a costume in Rockingham so if ya'll would bring a few dozen dunce caps with the words ignore me labelled on top it would do well.

G'luck and do not be swayed by the dark side of the force. Never forget its about the children and the education they need.

Anonymous said...

Chris,

All I can say is .. RUN IN 2008!! please rescue us from the group of dictators we have in office now. Not a single one of them listened to a thing any of us said. But I have to admit, it's a great feeling knowing that even if they aren't listening, they have to stay there until all hours of the night just sitting in that same place. Thank you for not being an ignorant clone like the rest of them. CHRIS KNIGHT FOR SCHOOLBOARD 2008!!!
-Rebekah Inman