By Derek Wilson
Marinscope
Racism “infests” the public high schools in San Anselmo and Mill Valley, according to some former students responding to questions of race relations in the Tamalpais Union High School District.
During an online Forum on Race and Racism in the Tam District on Aug. 5, former Drake and Tamalpais student Sophia Martin said, “I can express the differences in the environments at the schools. What they have in common is they are both infested with racism. … What was a common thread for me and for people of color? I would have to hear the ’N Word’ yelled at me at both schools.”
Martin placed the onus on the TUHSD Board of Trustees to fix a broken system that some say allows racism. At the same time, she applauded Tam principal JC Farr, who is Black, for his work on race relations at a school with a significant percentage of Black students.
The online forum was attended by Farr, Redwood principal David Sondheim, Tamiscal principal Kim Siffler, San Andreas principal David Luongo, and Liz Seabury, the principal at the school formerly known as Sir Francis Drake High School. All five schools are part of the TUHSD.
The first day of school is scheduled for Aug. 19, although TUHSD schools are expected to begin classes with a distance-learning strategy. There is a Board of Trustees meeting slated for August 25.
The San Anselmo high school is in the early stages of a renaming and rebranding process and officials have removed the name and images of Drake, a noted 16th Century English explorer, who was also an infamous slave trader. Until a new official name is chosen, the school is temporarily designated HS-1327.
This is not the first time a Marin school has been forced to make changes. The Indian mascot and logo displayed at Tamalpais High School since the school’s founding in 1908 was officially retired in 1989 in favor of the Red-tailed Hawks. Students and administrators said at the time that the Indian mascot was offensive to Native Americans.
There have been a number of reported racist incidents at Marin schools. Central Marin Police reported incidents in 2016 and 2017 in which swastikas and racist messages were painted on the Drake campus. Novato High School reported a swastika was found painted on campus in 2017. There have also been a number of unreported incidents of racism and anti-Semitism, according to parents and students.
Jack Parnell-Wolfe, a 2017 Drake graduate, said “There needs to be accountability among white students.”
Others said change needs to come from school officials. There were several accounts of minorities as the targets of racist attacks and of minorities unjustly — and even incorrectly — accused of crimes. There was the suggestion that minorities face harsher discipline than their white classmates from administrators.
“The time has not come (just now to deal with racism in schools). The time has already passed,” said Rebecca Prather, whose son is a student at Tam High. “I want to stress the importance of addressing the pain and harm done to students. We must have (white) parents and teachers and administrators take full accountability for our children’s education.”
Although board members and school officials were watching last week’s forum, they were not taking direct questions. The forum was designed merely to collect input from the community to be used for the district’s action plan for addressing racism in schools.
During the discussion, there were several questions raised: Where does racism come from? Is it a natural reaction based on fear of perceived differences? Or is it a learned behavior? And how can we end racism, if it is possible?
Some participants suggested that the subject of racism needs to be dealt with at home and in elementary and junior high schools. Redwood sophomore Monica Canas called for anti-racism educational meetings for parents so that they can teach their children at home.
“Children at Tam are made to feel like they shouldn’t interact with each other,” said Hilary Heaven, whose children attended Tam. “It starts at middle and elementary schools. We need to see more integration.”
One woman, a former Drake student who is currently a teacher in Alameda, noted that K-5 schools in Alameda offer equity studies, which focus on diversity and social justice.
While some commenters appreciated last week’s forum, many said they were not happy with the setup of the forum. The faces and names of participants were not always available, which caused some to ask ”who is in my community?” There were technical problems with the forum, which was moderated by TUHSD Superintendent Tara Taupier. The phrase “Are you there?” was heard a few times as Taupier called on speakers.
Heated protests over racism across the world have targeted, in part, a perceived institution of racial inequality and a history of racist acts. Confederate monuments and statues of Christopher Columbus, Father Junipero Serra, among others have been removed since the killing of George Floyd in May ignited long-simmering tensions. In Larkspur, the City Council ordered the removal of the 30-foot tall sculpture of Sir Francis Drake from Larkspur Landing in the early morning hours of July 29 to stop protestors who were rumored to be planning to tear down the statue.
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