Dranesville Library Trustee Resigns After Diverse Book Discussion

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — As a Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees member faces calls for his resignation or removal for comments on the diverse titles featured in the library online catalog, another trustee who offered comments has resigned.

According to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust spoke with his district's trustee, Darren Ewing, who has since resigned from the position. In an email to Foust, Ewing said his remarks weren't intended to support those of Springfield District trustee Phillip Rosenthal or offend the public.

McKay has also called for the resignation of Phillip Rosenthal, the Springfield District trustee who made remarks on Muslim, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ+ titles featured in the library catalog. Rosenthal's comments were called racist by some residents. The Virginia Library Association expressed opposition to his comments in a letter, while the NOVA Equity Agenda Coalition took it a step further and called for his resignation or removal.

The discussion over diversity in the library's collection happened during a July 29 Board of Trustees virtual meeting. Rosenthal mentioned specific categories of titles featured in the catalog that he took issue with. For example, he questioned why Muslim writers were featured but not Catholic, Mormon, Jewish or Baptist writers.

Related: Remarks On LGBTQ+, BLM Books Bring Calls To Oust Library Trustee

He also took aim at writers involved with the Black Lives Matter movement. On a similar category titled Race in America, Rosenthal said, "Black lives documentaries. Why don't we have some white lives documentaries?"

And for the category labeled rainbow reads for teens, he said, "Why don't we have the flipped side of rainbow books for teens?"

McKay said in a statement he hopes Rosenthal resigns. McKay is also consulting with the county's attorney to explore options for the Board of Supervisors to consider.

"As centers for information and education for all members of our society, our libraries play a unique role in providing community members access to the perspectives and real-lived experiences of those too often shut out from history," said McKay. "In his comments, Mr. Rosenthal fails to recognize how the authors he requests to be featured have historically been the only authors highlighted and promoted towards a broad audience. To find proof of this, we need only to recall our high school reading lists from a few decades back."

In the discussion among trustees last month, Ewing said the catalog homepage is "completely one-sided."

"If you go on the catalog homepage, it is social justice. There's nothing wrong with social justice, but you got to put it within a framework," said Ewing.

Ewing shared his resignation letter with Patch to clarify his remarks:

As discussed, I regret that my comments were interpreted the wrong way at the last Library board meeting.

My remarks were not to lend support to Mr. Rosenthal's comments but to examine the idea of more neutrality in the presentation of the library's collection. Never did I intend to offend the public for which we are here to serve.

I have enjoyed serving as a Library Trustee for the past six years, and I am very proud of the work we have done to serve our dynamic and diverse community. I don't want this to be a distraction from that important work.

Therefore, I have decided to tender my resignation effective immediately. Perhaps my vacancy will help the board in developing a more diverse representation to further the library's mission.

I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the libraries. I look forward to engaging in other activities to contribute to our community.

In his own statement, McKay says he is committed to working to improve diversity of his appointees to boards "to more accurately represent the voices of everyone who makes Fairfax County so great."

Rosenthal was appointed as a trustee in 2018 by recommendation of Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity and approval of the full Board of Supervisors. In a new statement following calls from McKay and the NOVA Equity Agenda Coalition for Rosenthal to resign, Herrity said his appointee was "a good man and public servant" who was "unjustly defamed and maligned."

"Phil is deeply committed to helping our area’s low-income families in their struggles to find adequate housing and food, caring for their children, and improving the lives of residents on the Route 1 corridor who continue to suffer from high crime rates, poverty, and a lack of meaningful job opportunities," said Herrity in the statement. "Mr. Rosenthal has been recognized with Good Shepherd Housing’s Philanthropy Award and the Fairfax County Federation of Civic Association’s Citation of Merit, among others. In addition to the Library Board, he currently serves on the Fairfax County Community Action Advisory Board, Fairfax County A. Heath Onthank Advisory Committee, Good Shepherd Housing and as a Community Board Member for GMU Hillel, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world."

The supervisor believes Rosenthal's remarks were not racist, hate-filled or discriminatory and intended to call for diversity of thought. He has urged Rosenthal to stay on the board "to serve and represent the citizens of the county that want diversity of opinion and open, honest discussion."

The chair of the Library Board of Trustees, Fran Millhouser, released a new letter to the community in response to the discussion of diverse featured titles.

"As Chair of the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees, I affirm on behalf of the board its commitment to serve the diverse community which is Fairfax County," wrote Millhouser. "As such, we support the county's One Fairfax policy on social and racial equity. The comments made at our last meeting on July 29 by individual trustees did not reflect the collective policies or positions of the full board or of Fairfax County."

Citing the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, she said the library's collection will have "materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues, and we will not remove materials because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."

The Library Board of Trustees' next meeting on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. will include a discussion on the library's collection development process. Trustees will have the chance to share comments on the topic, and there will be time for public comment. NOVA Equity Agenda Coalition, the group that called for Rosenthal's resignation or removal, will join the meeting with signs supporting diverse books and calling for Rosenthal to resign.

Inquiries about the meeting and public comments should be directed to Jon Lutz at 703-324-8324.