HSE pays over $100K to Racist Organization; Chambers and Stokes Refuse to Discuss

They denied another agenda item request

HSE has made another payment to the racist organization Child Advocates for professional development on racial issues. I say that Child Advocates is a racist organization because:

1. They continue to promote racist ideas on their website, including the ideas that whiteness is “understood to be evil” and “exploitative”, that being white is like being a member of a cult, and that “the power of domination and exclusion is central to the belief in being white”, among others.

2. Several of their staff—including their leader Jill English—serve as facilitators for the Soul Focused Group, which compared being white to having a dangerous virus.

I pointed this out a year ago, and while it subsequently appeared that HSE slowed down a bit in their relationship with Child Advocates, they have resumed their relationship with a new payment of $5100 to the organization, the latest in over $100,000 in payments that HSE has made to Child Advocates over the last couple of years. The payment was approved by the Board with a 5-1 vote as part of the consent agenda in their June 8 meeting. Suzanne Thomas was the only Board member who voted against the consent agenda item.

When I saw the new payment on Board Docs, I decided to reach out to Board President Julie Chambers and HSE Superintendent Yvonne Stokes to request an agenda item on the issue. I pointed out the above concerns about Child Advocates, and noted that

In my view, it is unacceptable for HSE to continue depending on this organization to teach HSE staff about racial issues, given that they are plainly a racist organization in the sense that they have knowingly been promoting these racist ideas for at least a year.

Ms. Chambers responded that after discussing the matter with Dr. Stokes, she decided to deny my request. I asked her why she was denying my request, and she replied:

Our agendas are generally very full and our meetings lengthy, and we plan items far in advance. As such, these types of requests will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

This struck me as very likely dishonest, so I clarified to Ms. Chambers that

…if the issue is with planning ahead, I would be happy to have the agenda item added to a future meeting that is not so busy.

Ms. Chambers did not respond to this, so I conclude that in saying the issue was with planning ahead, Ms. Chambers was not telling the truth.

The truth, of course, is that Ms. Chambers is not approving these agenda items because she wants me, and people like me, to be quiet. She is forced by law to allow me to comment on agenda items that she and Dr. Stokes choose. However, note that, by current Board policy, the public is not allowed to address any topic that is not listed on the agenda. So, by carefully crafting the agenda, Ms. Chambers and Dr. Stokes can continue to spread hate, division, racism, and the sexualization of little children without ever hearing any challenge from concerned parents, who must remain silent.

Once again: we need to elect a new Board in November. Let’s send a clear message with our votes that we won’t stand for this kind of behavior.