I Pledge Alligance To The Flag Of The United States Of America

 

Commissioner blasts Racial & Social Justice Commission for not reciting pledge of allegiance

March 22, 2021 - Uriah Kiser

London Steverson, a retired Social Security Judge and Coast Guard Law Specialist, sits on the Prince William County Racial and Social Justice Commission.

 

A retired Administrative Law Judge who now sits on a newly formed Prince William County commission was outraged when, at the most recent meeting, commissioners didn’t start with a pledge of allegiance to the flag.

The pledge is commonplace at the county’s other meetings, including at the Board of County Supervisors.

So, he recited it himself at the end of the March 18 meeting of the Racial and Social Justice Commission, which took place at the county’s government center in Woodbridge.

“I am insulted we didn’t start this meeting with the pledge of allegiance or opening prayer. Not even the Congress or the House of Representatives is so un-American,” the Coast Guard veteran said, as he chastised fellow Commissioner Shantell Rock of Woodbridge, who serves as its chairwoman.

Instead of the pledge of allegiance, Rock asked commissioners to recite an equity communication pledge which asks commissioners to avoid using statements like “I think, I feel, I believe,” and promise not to challenge others when talking about the issue of race, and not to include their personal perspectives. “You are here to listen and serve the discussion, not to join it,” states the pledge.

It was the first time commissioners were presented with the equity pledge. Not one recited it, while another commissioner, Mac Haddow, of Gainesville, objected.

“This is my time. You can choose to recite it or not to recite it,” Rock replied to Haddow’s opposition.

Meanwhile, Steverson recalled his past as a young Black man growing up in the segregated South in the Jim Crow era.

“I know racism. It’s not just something I learned about in a liberal arts discussion group,” said the retired judge. “I’m an affirmative action baby. I was able to go from the cotton fields to the courtroom in 20 years,” said Steverson.

Commissioners spent most of the meeting trying to get data on accounts of reported racism from county officials, including the police chief. There were few to report. However, commissioners pressed on, saying they would seek equity in the community.

“I’ve battled racism. I’ve battled cancel culture. I don’t believe in guaranteeing equal outcomes [equity]. I believe in ensuring equal opportunity,” said Steverson.

Steverson, a published author, retired from the Social Security Administration in 2009, where he worked as an appeals judge. He worked as a Law Specialist in the U.S. Coast Guard–a position similar to that of a JAG lawyer in the Navy, from 1968 to 1988.

The commission is scheduled for a work session today, March 22, at 7 p.m. at the McCoart Building at the county government center in Woodbridge.

Its next full meeting is scheduled for April 15.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors created the Racial and Social Justice Commission in October 2020 to serve as another layer of governmental oversight, on top of the county’s Equal Rights Commission that has been in place since 1992.

The Racial and Social Justice Commission is tasked with filing a report with the Board of County Supervisors in December to include a snapshot of actual or perceived racism in the county.