West Cook News

River Forest's citizen advisory committee dedicated to pushing "inclusion" in the village won't start its scheduled meeting Tuesday night with the Pledge of Allegiance.

A motion by members Teresa Peavy and Mindy Credi to start "River Forest Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group" monthly meetings with the Pledge was voted down by the group, 20-6, as its first order of new business on Aug 17.

Arguing in favor, Credi said "the binding factor of diversity equity and inclusion is that we all love America."

But fellow group members disagreed, even vehemently.

Roshni Ricchetti, 39, a former scientist and current science journalist with degrees from University of California, Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, objected to the Pledge's reference to God, saying its reference to a higher power is "introducing magic into the equation."

"That's not history. That's magic," Ricchetti said. "As a secular humanist who can also be considered an atheist, I do not believe in a higher power. The (U.S. Constitution) is fundamentally non-inclusive of people like me."

Ricchetti, who missed the group's first three meetings, according to published minutes, complained that the words “Under God” are "nationalistic" and were added to the Pledge in the 1950’s "to distinguish us from the ‘heathen’ Soviets."

Section 8 housing activist Jessica Hartshorn, 30, agreed, calling the Pledge "an empty gesture."

Lawyer Richard W. Schumacher, 68, said the Pledge is divisive.

"I have no religion. I can't even call myself an atheist," he said. "But I can tell you this. I am not bowing to a flag. The flag is not something that unites me with anybody."

Sun-Hee Yoon, an immigrant from South Korea who currently works as a full-time Administration Intern at the Woman's Athletic Club of Chicago, said has only been in the U.S. fifteen years and is "unfamiliar" with the Pledge.

"I never got a chance to memorize it," Yoon said.

Robert Navarro, also an immigrant, from Mexico, said he was very familiar with the Pledge.

"I am an American by choice," Navarro said. "When I made that choice, I ceased to say the Pledge of Allegiance for the Mexican flag. It was an exchange.”

Voting 'no,' against reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, were members Peavy, Ricchetti, Hartshorn, Schumacher, Yoon, Stacey D. Austin, Village Trustee Erika Bachner, Tina L. Baird, Tim Brandhorst, Renee Tuba-Clancy, John C. Grant, Kenneth J. Johnson, Rosey McAdams, Abigail Rogers, Cindy Shea, Liz Simon, Dorota Szerszenowicz-Olweny, Glen Weissenberger and acting River Forest Village Administrator Lisa M. Scheiner.

Voting 'yes,' in favor of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, were members Credi, Holly Economos, Chuck Foster, Kent Kirk, Navarro and Nancy Nicolas.

Members Dwerti Addy, Guillermo Arauz, Laurel Burkett, Alexandra L. DeSorbo-Quinn, Cecilia Graham, Anja Herrman, Jessica Iverson, Kirk Johnson, Stephanie Kang, Megan Keskitalo, Farzad Khaledan, Brett Kreisman, Susan Macauley, James E. Norman, Christina Papirnik and Anthony Riley didn't attend the meeting and did not vote on the motion.

The group is the brainchild of Bachner, who was elected in April 2019. It was formed officially in April; Bachner and Scheiner are co-chairs.

During Village Board and DEI group meetings, Bachner doesn't routinely stand and say the pledge. Instead, she opens every meeting by reciting a self-described "native lands" statement that calls on fellow members to be "mindful" of the fact that they are meeting on "colonized" land "that was once and still is inhabited by indigenous people."

"I'm making sure that we focus on those narratives that have been stifled because of what we’ve done as a country," Bachner said at the Aug. 17 meeting.

Credi said Bachner's statement should be countered by the Pledge.

"If I have to listen to the land treaty thing every meeting, then I want to say the Pledge of Allegiance," Credi said.

Last June, Bachner asked the village board to approve flying a "gay pride" flag in front of village hall.

Ricchetti and her husband, Bryan purchased a $1.5 million home last year. The home features six bedrooms and 6.5 baths over 7,200 square feet.