Kristen’s pick: Yelena Zolotarsky, Springfield Board of Education
I had a fascination with Russian politics and culture in college. I studied Russian literature in English translation, and I prepared a number of papers in a self-designed honors course dedicated to analyzing the development of “democracy” in Russia. To this day, I find such strength and commonality in my conversations with Americans who began their lives in places formerly under U.S.S.R. control.
They have been sounding the alarm long before our media even whispered “tyranny”. The wool was easily pulled over the eyes of most Americans, but not those Americans raised in or by parents who languished under communist and socialist regimes.
I am so grateful for these early, brave and outspoken voices. I knew my own fears were justified. I saw it too.
That is why I am so pleased to see one such voice standing up to become a protector of the American education system.
Meet Yelena Zolotarsky, in her own words…
Yelena: Why am I running for school board?
I was born in Moscow, Russia, and have lived the first half of my life under communist dictatorship, behind iron curtain, with only tiny droplets of information about the outside world getting through. We didn’t know better, but we also didn’t believe the lies we were told…we just knew somehow. And then miraculously it fell apart, and we became free people, and we immigrated to the best country in the world, our dream country – United States of America.
What I see happening in America now reminds me of my former country more and more every day, and my heart is breaking for the children and their parents.
Fun fact: I taught chemistry in high school in Moscow for 1.5 years. I am not a trained teacher, but I am a chemist, and I loved teaching kids. Another fun fact: I have been Springfield’s resident for 30 years, and both of my daughters went through Springfield schools.
I stand for Excellence in Education, the best academic knowledge we can give to our kids. Unfortunately the focus in American schools is shifting from academic education to politics. CRT is Marxist teaching; it has no place in our schools. If we let it continue, next will come Marxism-Leninism, political economic and scientific communism. I know because those were the subjects we studied. They are all absurd, not sustainable and have nothing to do with reality teachings. But a 300 million population country was teaching it to generations of people…it can happen here if we don’t stop it. I know this from my experience.
I want parents to have a voice because right now they don’t. They come to the school board meetings, say their speeches and yet nothing changes. They are being completely ignored by current boards, the boards that are supposed to represent them, because only parents know what is best for their children. I want to change that and want parents’ voices to be heard.
I don’t know if I’ll win, but I hope to at least set an example so that 3 parents who want to change the way things are now will run next year. Every year 3 people can run for the school board, and if those 3 parents win next year, and then 3 more run the following year and win, at least parents will have a school board which represents them and will not ignore them.
That’s why I am running. So please vote for me on November 2nd. and please ask your friends to vote for me as well.
Kristen: What is your stance on parental choice for medical freedom in schools?
Yelena: Parents should have a voice and a choice. It is one of my issues I am running on. Right now parents have no voice, and that's wrong. They know what is the best for their children, and it's parents, not schools, who will have to deal with consequences if something happens to their children.
Kristen: What is your favorite amendment?
Yelena: First amendment. Without it nothing else matters, and we are experiencing it right now.
We can see with our own eyes how when the first amendment is compromised this great country is literally falling apart.
Find Yelena’s candidate page on Facebook Here
Yelena, you embody the American dream and speak so eloquently for freedom. We are proud to endorse you. Best of luck with your campaign!
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