Written by Bobbie Wylie
The progressive San Francisco school board president who was recalled from her position last week has claimed that the rare recall election was “aligned” with white supremacy.
In a tweet, former San Francisco school board president Gabriela López stated, “So if you fight for racial justice, this is the consequence. Don’t be mistaken, white supremacists are enjoying this. And the support of the recall is aligned with this.” López’s tweet included a photo of a headline from the Washington Post that said the three recalled board members were “seen as too focused on racial justice.” She replied to her original tweet, saying, “This headline says it all. If you are not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”
López and two other board members, vice president Faauuga Moliga and commissioner Alison Collins, were all ousted from their respective school board positions last week.
The school board members were removed from their positions amid backlash over a controversial plan to rename a number of San Francisco schools in the midst of COVID-19 shutdowns. The recall effort was largely based on the school board’s plan to rename 44 schools that it said honored public figures linked to racism, sexism, and other injustices – including Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and US Senator and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Parents raised concern over the board’s push to rename schools instead of focusing on reopening schools that had been closed due to COVID-19. In January of 2021, parents began organizing a recall arguing the board was pushing progressive politics instead of acting in the best interests of children amid the pandemic.
Photo Cred: San Francisco Board of Education/ KQED
