To the editor:

I find it somewhat bizarre that one who claims to be dedicated to understanding students of color and indeed participated in many programs centered on inclusion would then respond with such reactionary disapproval to programs like LEAD (Lindbergh Equity and Diversity), as seen in the Jan. 28 issue of The Call. 

When students of color experience discrimination, of course those experiences won’t jive with white teachers. This is especially true when the racism is done out of view of the teachers or is simply going unnoticed, which racism often does. During my time at Lindbergh, I heard racial slurs used casually. I heard racist jokes in locker rooms. 

My sister, who is an Asian adoptee, was told to go back to her country, was mocked by other students who pulled their eyes into slants and made fun of her accent. When white kids fought, they got pulled apart. When black kids fought, you sometimes saw them taken away in handcuffs. 

These problems still exist. That doesn’t discount the work that’s been done in the past. It’s not a disservice to the teachers who helped, but an indictment of the ones who didn’t. 

If we don’t continue to be a part of the solution, we are the ones that delegitimize that work, not LEAD. When the reaction to LEAD is “I never heard anything racist” and “I did my part so there’s no problem,” that’s proof of silence and complacency, right there.

Nic Champion
Concord