GEORGE ORWELL TO THE RED COURTESY PHONE, PLEASE: How a kids playdate in Oakland became a flashpoint for racists.
The equity and inclusion committee at Oakland’s Chabot Elementary School didn’t publish the emails and phone numbers of organizers when advertising its “playdate” for students of color on Aug. 26.
“Something told me not to do it,” said Briana, the co-chair of the committee who is Black, has a child who attends the school and asked that I not use her last name due to safety concerns. “Maybe it was my ancestors talking to me.”
Those ancestors must have known racism is still thriving in the nation. The Bay Area is no exception.
Two days after the playdate, hate mail, racist phone calls and bomb threats were sent to the school and several Oakland residents after extremists online deemed the event an affront to their delusional idea of equality. About 30 students and staff members were safely evacuated from the school before classes began. Parents dropping their kids off for school were told to go home. Police eventually swept the campus with bomb-detecting dogs but turned up nothing suspicious.
“Creating spaces for Black, brown and AAPI kids is seen as some kind of zero-sum game for people who are against it,” said Macheo Payne, a professor of social work at Cal State East Bay. “They ask where the white spaces are, which disregards how those spaces exist by default in society.”
Exit quote:
"Racists tried to stop segregation that violates civil rights." is a fun one. https://t.co/58cYbtIDmQ
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) September 3, 2023