By a vote of 5-4, the Roselle Board of Education tonight removed Archange Antoine – a Haitian-born civil rights activist – from the governing body.

The Board acted on the matter after Antoine missed three consecutive meetings.

The ejection comes in the middle of a continuing political fight among Union County Democrats.

Antoine posted this response on Facebook:

“I have lived in Roselle, NJ my whole life and I’ve been a board member for 8 years. I won my first election on the Roselle School Board fighting the political establishment and demanding we have a board that truly represents the interest of the people. For 8 years, they tried to discredit me, tarnish my reputation, and attack my charcter [sic] but they have always come up short. I’ve always won re-election. Even this past November, the people voted overwhelmingly for me and my team. Once again, these political hacks were directed by their political boss to remove me from the board of education for allegedly missing Regular Public Meetings. This is a lie. This lie allowed them to succeed today with a 5 to 4 split.

“Trust me, I have an attorney and we will be fighting this injustice every second of the way. Tonight’s vote was a direct violation of our Roselle Board of Education governing bylaws and it unfairly stripped the people of Roselle of their vote. We will appeal this unethical vote to the courts and seek justice for the citizens who voted for me to represent their interest. The people of Roselle need fighters. This is my promise to them. That is what I will continue to do. Watch me! This is a lesson to everyone who wants to fight for justice and freedom- there is always a price to pay but you can’t give up. You have to keep fighting. You have to keep pushing. More importantly, you cannot be afraid. Remember, as long as the people love you, and you can represent their interest to the best of your ability, you will be unstoppable. Thank you to all my family, friends, advocates, and community members who came out to support me. The struggle continues and the fight for justice moves forward.”