There is yet another update on Michelle Leete, the local Fairfax leader who yelled "Let them die!" about opponents of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Leete made those remarks to much applause by a crowd gathering for a protest on Thursday night outside the Jackson Middle School in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. The Virginia PTA announced on Saturday morning that she had been asked to and submitted her resignation, and it appears she is no longer with the Fairfax PTA either, according to The Washington Post. The Fairfax NAACP, where she is the vice president, is standing by her, however.
Blue Virginia in their coverage about the NAACP chapter and reactions from "right-wing media" about the incident did acknowledge that Leete's inflammatory remarks "of course should never be used in reference to other people, even those we strongly disagree with. They do try to explain what she meant, though.
Leete's comments were included in Hannah Natanson's reporting for The Washington Post, in a piece which was updated Saturday afternoon:
In an emailed statement Friday, Leete wrote that her “Let them die” comment referred to “the ideals that show a disregard and lack of support for our teachers who have a truly difficult job to do even without a pandemic.”
She also sent The Washington Post a written copy of her speech, which read, “Let them (ideals) die.” That sentence is followed in the document by a paragraph in which Leete instructed herself to “ad lib — referring to ideals that would have schools open during a pandemic, guns in schools, not supporting teachers .?.?. etc.”
In her email Friday, Leete wrote, “I will certainly admit, it was ineloquently stated and with a pause for the applause, the timing was off.”
Natanson also revealed it appears Leete is no longer with the Fairfax PTA, either, as the position is listed as "vacant" on their website:
But, as the fallout from her remarks continues — fueled by conservative commentators online — Leete appears to have already lost another job: her position as vice president of communications for the Fairfax County Council Parent Teacher Association. As of Saturday morning, the Fairfax PTA website listed the communications vice president role as “Vacant” in a slot that contained Leete’s name as recently as Friday evening.
The Fairfax PTA did not immediately respond to a question asking why and how Leete had lost her position with the group.
Blue Virginia also chose to condemn the negative attention the Fairfax NAACP has faced:
Of course, the response to inflammatory words shouldn’t be “hate-filled emails, phone calls, and social media posts, which have been laced with racial epithets, vile language and threats,” which the Fairfax NAACP says it has received the past couple days. That’s just totally unacceptable.
Included in the Sunday post from Blue Virginia is the Fairfax NAACP's statement, which spends a couple of sentences condemning such rhetoric, but then doubles down on Leete's other remarks and decries the "racism and sexism" that has followed:
The Fairfax County NAACP is aware of the false narrative in the media regarding our 1st Vice President, related to a recent rally in support of Fairfax County Public School students. Fairfax County NAACP does not condone or support violence of any kind, whether we agree with an individual’s ideas or not. We believe in peaceful demonstrations and activism in order to achieve social justice and equity. But we will always stand in opposition to anti-diversity and anti-equity rhetoric, and any ideas or policies that further an inequitable agenda.
That is what the 1st Vice President spoke about on Thursday: to prepare our children for a better world by denying space to rhetoric, ideas or narratives that threaten the world we want to leave our next generation. This is abundantly clear when you consider the entirety of her speech, instead of simply the last seconds of it. We stand firmly by our 1st Vice President and her work in the past, present and future, and are extremely disappointed that her long track record of tireless work and dedication within the Fairfax County community has been so easily disregarded and devalued. We must be diligent and stalwart against those who use falsehoods to silence our community leaders, sow discord, and deflect attention away from important conversations on how best to protect our students while building a healthy and inclusive learning environment.
We reaffirm our position to support our students and teachers in the most positive ways. Those who are speaking out against our teachers, school board members, and students represent a way of thinking that is anti-children. We believe that these archaic ideals should be left in the past so we can create a safer, more inclusive environment for our students and teachers.
We respect and appreciate opinions different than ours but urge civil conversations, free from racist, derogatory insults or obscenities. In the days following the rally we have received many hate-filled emails, phone calls, and social media posts, which have been laced with racial epithets, vile language and threats. These messages only highlight the fact that racism and sexism are alive and well, and those who practice it will use any minor infraction or misspoken word to justify their own prejudices and actions.
To our members and supporters, please do not let this moment distract you from our cause to jointly build our beloved community. Our work together continues on many aspects that shape our daily lives and influence quality of life today and in the future. We will continue our work for justice and equity in our schools, police reform, environmental justice, voting rights, education, health and affordable housing.
We will not be silenced and will continue to fight against the injustices and discrimination that permeates our society.
In Solidarity,
Fairfax County NAACP
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