'Let them die!': NAACP leader blasts parents marching against critical race theory being taught at Virginia middle school - sparking the state PTA to send her on 'sensitivity training'

An NAACP leader has been caught on camera blasting parents who oppose Critical Race Theory and shouting 'let them die' in a fiery speech outside a Virginia middle school board meeting.

NAACP Vice President Michelle Leete - who is also a member of Virginia state PTA - made the inflammatory comments to a crowd at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, Fairfax County, Thursday.

The crowd, who cheered in response to Leete's speech, had gathered to counter-protest a group of parents who were holding a 'Stop CRT rally' at the school.

Leete is Vice President of her local NAACP chapter, Vice President of Training at the Virginia state PTA and Vice President of Communications for the Fairfax County PTA. 

The PTA said Friday night that Leete's words 'do not reflect the values' of the group and that she will be sent on 'sensitivity training' to learn about the 'impact of the words we use'. 

The incident comes as parents, schools and activists across America are going to war over CRT and anti-racist teachings being taught to children.    

An NAACP leader has been caught on camera blasting parents who oppose Critical Race Theory and shouting 'let them die' in a fiery speech outside a Virginia middle school board meeting

NAACP Vice President Michelle Leete - who is also a member of Virginia state PTA - made the inflammatory comments to a crowd at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, Fairfax County, Thursday

Footage of Leete's speech was shared by Parents Defending Education, a group which opposes the teaching of CRT, sparking an uproar over her comments. 

In the video, Leete hits out at people who she accuses of being 'anti-equity, anti-history, anti-racial reckoning.'

'So let's meet and remain steadfast in speaking truth, tearing down double standards, and refuting double talk,' she says.

'Let's not allow any double downing on lies. Let's prepare our children for a world they deserve. 

'Let's deny this off-key band of people that are anti-education, anti-teacher, anti-equity, anti-history, anti-racial reckoning, anti-opportunities, anti-help people, anti-diversity, anti-science, anti-change agent, anti-social justice, anti-health care, anti-worker, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-children, anti-health care, anti-worker, anti-environment, anti-admissions policy change, anti-inclusion, anti-live and let live – let them die!' 

Leete is seen receiving a round of applause from the crowd.

She then continues: 'Don't let these uncomfortable people deter us from our own march forward.'

Asra Nomani, a PTA member and Indian immigrant who shot the footage and posted it on Twitter, told the Daily Wire she was 'stunned' by what she had heard.

'I listened, stunned, as Michelle Leete, an executive of the NAACP and the PTA, put a target on the backs of parents just because they have a different point of view,' she said. 

Nomani, who is an Anti-Critical Race Theory campaigner, described Leete's comments as 'hate speech' and a 'call to violence' against people with different views. 

The crowd, who cheered in response to Leete's speech, had gathered to counter-protest a group of parents who were holding a 'Stop CRT rally' at the school

In the video, Leete hits out at people who she accuses of being 'anti-equity, anti-history, anti-racial reckoning'

Luther Jackson Middle School above where the protest and counter-protest was staged Thursday

'What we heard tonight was hate speech, pure and simple,' she said. 

'It was shocking that anyone would cheer and applaud a call to violence… 

'Ironically, her hateful, intolerant words are a perfect illustration of the divisive ideology of critical race theory in action. In the name of tolerance, it preaches intolerance and is a betrayal of all values of humanity and decency.' 

So far, the Fairfax NAACP has not commented on the incident.

But Leete's colleagues on the Virginia PTA expressed concern over what they called 'a disturbing choice of words used by a board member during a public event.'  

'We believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, we also know words have power and that it is important to understand the impact of our language,' the PTA said in a statement. 

'This summer, Virginia PTA board members will participate in sensitivity training to ensure that we remain mindful of our community and the impact of the words we use.' 

The  Virginia PTA tweeted expressed concern over what it deemed to be 'a disturbing choice of words used by a board member during a public event' and said she would be sent on 'sensitivity training'

Leete also walked back her 'let them die' comment, saying 'the timing was off.' 

Writing to the Washington Post, she claimed 'let them die' was only ever meant to refer 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.'   

'I will certainly admit, it was ineloquently stated and with a pause for the applause, the timing was off,' she acknowledged.    

Critical Race Theory highlights how historical inequities and racism continue to shape public policy and social conditions today.  

It has become a key focus on the curriculum of schools over the last year amid the nationwide reckoning for racial justice following the murder of George Floyd.

But it has starkly divided opinion. 

Conservatives allege that students are being taught a warped version of American history that claims the impact of slavery remains present throughout society, while supporters say it is vital to understand how race impacts society in order to eliminate racism. 

Six states have banned the critical race theory and another dozen are considering passing similar resolutions

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?  

The fight over critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States over the last year.

The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project.

The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'.

The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist.

Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.

Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law.

A Public Opinion Strategies poll from early June found that critical race theory is viewed negatively by voters with a 50 percent negative to 42 percent positive margin. 

In Fairfax County specifically, the teaching of the theory has been met with strong opposition.   

Earlier this month, parents in the county accused America's top high school Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology of a 'purge' after slashing its intake of Asian American students by 20 percent because 'they are the wrong minority.'  

Nomani, whose child graduated from the school this year, claimed in an opinion piece for the Washington Post that TJ is making race a factor in the admissions criteria and discriminating against Asian children. 

She said TJ, which ranked the number one school nationwide in the US News Best High Schools report in April and as a public school has no tuition fees, has 'systematically set out to reduce' the number of Asian students joining.

Admissions data shows the class of 2025 has become increasingly diverse with black students making up 7 percent of the year group, up from just 1 percent for the class of 2021. 

The proportion of Hispanic students increased from 3 percent to 11 percent while white students climbed from 18 percent to 22 percent.

Asian students continue to make up the majority at 54 percent of the class.

However, this marks a major decrease from 73 percent of the class of 2021 - a decline Nomani said is down to 'new racist standards' in the admissions process.   

Nomani claimed that the school's majority Asian school body was the 'wrong kind of minority' in the eyes of the school.  

The mom is part of a group of parents who filed a federal lawsuit in March against the Fairfax County School Board over the 'unconstitutional' changes to the admissions process. 

The suit claims the new admission standards violate the constitutional right of Asian children to equal protection by discriminating against them based on their race.   

Despite the changes to the admissions process, the school's website insists it is still 'merit based and race blind.' 

Lawsuits and protests are being held across the country by other parents who are going to war over CRT.   

Also in Fairfax County, parent and anti-Critical Race Theory campaigner Asra Nomani has claimed Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia is 'purging' Asian students because they are the 'wrong minority'

America's wealthiest suburb - Loudoun County, Virginia - has repeatedly hit headlines in recent months, with parents going to war with the school board over its anti-racist curriculum.  

Parents are demanding the removal of several members of the school district board while school officials insist that CRT is not on the curriculum pointing to 'misconceptions and misinformation' in the media.  

Last month, two people were arrested during a school board meeting that descended into chaos amid debates over CRT teachings and a new transgender policy.  

Several parents of children at New York City elite private schools are also up in arms about them being taught critical race theory lessons from an early age. 

At Dalton, a group of parents penned an anonymous open letter to the school describing an 'obsessive focus on race and identity'.

The school was then embroiled in further controversy as parents fumed that first-graders were shown sex education videos that appeared to include information about masturbation.   

Meanwhile, Spence came under fire for its diversity curriculum in April when it commented on Derek Chauvin's conviction for the murder of George Floyd.   

Meanwhile parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, are demanding the removal of several members of the board amid debates over CRT teachings and a new transgender policy (pictured parents stage a protest in June)

Parents attend a packed Loudoun County School board meeting in June which descended into chaos

Critical race theory: From obscure academic concept to the front lines of America's 'culture wars' 

Critical race theory exploded to prominence in the spring as it started to appear in classrooms from kindergarten to Grade 12, leading to several bans including in Florida and Texas, however it has been taught in higher education for decades.

It is an offshoot of the Marxist ideology Critical Theory, of Herbert Marcuse and Erich Fromm, which argued that there are power structures which 'enslave' the minds of the oppressed in society. 

CRT teaches that racism is not the result of nature or biology but that it is a social construct, an idea invented to exploit and control minorities.

It argues racism is a structural problem in the United States, particularly towards black people, embedded in its institutions, legal system and even the Constitution.  

The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project.

The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'.

The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist.

Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.

Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law.