A nine year old student at an elementary school in Minneapolis, Minnesota gained national attention online when she was recorded berating her local school board for allowing Black Lives Matter (BLM) posters and a poster of Amanda Gorman, a Nobel laureate poet, in a classroom despite their "no politics" policy.
The girl, who said her name was Novalee, entered one of the Lakeview Area Schools, which serve the Dakota and Scott Counties in southern Minneapolis. Her impassioned speech on June 8 went viral on social media.
"I was so mad. I was told two weeks ago at this very meeting spot: no politics in school," Novalee spoke out during a school board meeting, as reported by the Epoch Times. "I believed what you said at this meeting."
Novalee went on to say that she approached her principal and asked to take down the posters, citing a "no politics" policy that prohibited displays of political messages, including BLM. The principal did not agree to remove the posters and instead informed the 9-year-old student that school board members made the posters.
"I was stunned. When I was here two weeks ago you told us to report any BLM in our schools," Novalee reminded the school board. "Apparently you know they are in our schools because you made the signs."
Novalee argued that it did not matter that whoever made the posters changed the colors and the fonts, "we all understand the meaning" of the poster. She pointed out that the BLM poster was a "political message about getting rid of police officers, rioting, burning buildings down" while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz "just sits on his throne and watches."
The student went on to say that despite her young age, she would recognize that changing the poster's colors and fonts to deviate from BLM's usual black, white, and yellow will not change the meaning of it. She then accused the board of lying to the students, expressing her disappointment in how they allowed the BLM poster in the classroom despite their "no politics" policy.
"I do not care or look at the color of skin, but you make me think of it," Novalee clarified, as reported by the New York Post. The 9-year-old student said that she only judges people by how they treat her rather than the color of their skin.
"I have Asian, Mexican, White, Chinese, Black friends, and I don't care," she said. "I like them because make me laugh, some are sweet and kind, sporty, or share the love of God. They are just my friends."
"You have lied to me and I am very disappointed in all of you," she continued. "You cannot even follow your own rules."
In January, the Star Tribune reported that Gov. Walz's academic proposals aimed to "tailor academic standards to be 'reflective of students of color and Indigenous students'" and to develop an "Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Center" within the Minnesota Department of Education, a committee whose goal is to address systemic racism, "ensure students receive an accurate history of Minnesota's Indigenous people," and "develop and provide training for all school staff on anti-bias practices."
Gov. Walz said of these ambitious changes, "This needs to be the best state in the country for a child to grow up. Brown, Black, white, Indigenous."
