WORTHINGTON – Along with 420 other recently elected citizens, Eric E. Parrish is taking a seat this month on a Minnesota school board.
At his inaugural Independent School District 518 school board meeting next Tuesday in Worthington, where about 20% of the roughly 3,300 enrolled students are white, Parrish will begin a four-year at-large term.
Unremarkable, but for the fact that Parrish, 44, is the first openly gay school board member to be elected in a conservative county where Donald Trump collected 66.9% of the November 2024 vote to Kamala Harris’ 31.41%.
“I value having a strong community,” said Parrish, an 18-year Worthington resident who teaches music and theater at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, “and when I can offer something to help make this a better place for everybody, I’ll step up.”
Parrish’s personal experiences and nearly two decades as a postsecondary educator boost his desire and confidence to elevate those whose interests aren’t always seen.
“One reason I returned to grad school in 2020 was to figure out where I, a gay white man in his early 40s, fit in as an artist and community member,” said Parrish, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2003 and a master of music in vocal performance at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., in 2006.
“At Minnesota State University, Mankato, where I’m completing a master of fine arts degree in directing, Dr. Heather Hamilton emphasized that it’s about identifying the voices of those who aren’t sitting at the table and lifting them up so they can have opportunities to be heard,” he said.
“That’s had a profound impact on my teaching, art, community and understanding of what my role is.”