Yesterday, recalled San Francisco Unified School District board commissioner Gabriela López voiced her considerable displeasure at losing her job at the hands of San Francisco voters.
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. pic.twitter.com/HsYtQjvVeh
— gabriela lópez is always for public schools 🇲🇽 (@lopez4schools) February 17, 2022
This headline says it all. If you are not outraged, you’re not paying attention.
— gabriela lópez is always for public schools 🇲🇽 (@lopez4schools) February 17, 2022
López was angry, to be sure. But her rant looks pretty tame compared to the one from her ousted colleague, Alison Collins. As WaPo’s Dave Weigel reminded us yesterday, Collins had effectively put a huge target on her back when she went after the Asian and Asian American community:
Suggesting that Asians weren’t committed to racial justice was one of the gaffes that motivated the recall; Allison Collins never recovered, despite apologizing, from these tweets. https://t.co/9Zu2NrNzQf pic.twitter.com/aK3C8OQIPX
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) February 17, 2022
Most people wouldn’t be surprised at a public backlash over such remarks, but apparently Alison was totally caught off guard.
Someone isn't handling their newfound unemployment well. https://t.co/VR0jRSqI0X
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) February 18, 2022
She is definitely not handling it well. Not even a little bit:
It is amazing how powerful the need is to restrict Black, immigrant, and Native American self-determination when it results in changes for folks who benefit from the status quo. This backlash is happening because we effectively centered unheard voices and redistributed power. https://t.co/sANmadeTry
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
All of the grievances listed by Recallers are policies taken on by the Board as a result of community organizing to create safe educational spaces for students. That includes cultural safety, classrooms free of racial abuse and dehumanizing curricula and imagery.
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
The local recaller backlash shares traits with broader efforts to “take our country back”.
The more progress you make the more pushback you get.
We see this happening nationally. pic.twitter.com/YUV8YrZCaH
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
Thank you for the graphic, Alison. Really helps get your point across.
There’s a lot to analyze about the recall. I encourage folks to do so, using racism as a critical lens. As we see with anti-CRT narratives nationally, the Right has essentially weaponized discussions of race. Making anyone who takes steps to address racial injustice a target. https://t.co/HTHdaa1agw
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
Didn’t Alison try to make anyone who didn’t take steps to address what she claimed was racial injustice a target? Did she forget about what she said about Asian Americans already?
As San Franciscans, we like to believe we are different than other cities. Nonetheless our city still continues to fall down when it comes to disparities in police violence, housing access and educational opportunity.
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
Damn those right-wing San Franciscans … they’ve ruined the city!
Some argue that right-wing talking points don’t have relevance here. However you identify, conservative, moderate or liberal, if the outcomes of your actions serve conservative ends, what does it matter what you call yourself? pic.twitter.com/pUgmrh10Cj
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
What our Board did differently, was empowering historically oppressed communities to craft their own narratives and their own solutions. The outcome of the recall is erasure/silencing the voice of the many community members who for decades have pushed for changes in our schools.
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
When local media mia characterize resolutions authored by Black, Latinx and Native American students, parents and community members as “a distraction” or ideological time-wasters, they are effectively erasing their voice while claiming to be allies. https://t.co/60d50IXtYo
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
This. 👉🏽 “What these decades of backlash politics show is that narrative plays a powerful role in shaping where politics flow. Democratic politicians often lack courage when backlash politics are in motion, as likely to jump on the outrage bandwagon as shrink into the shadows… pic.twitter.com/c1JEbTfYj6
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
A screenshot of the text in her own tweet that she literally just tweeted. Cool.
“…waiting for it to blow over. But they and progressive activists have a responsibility to counter moral panics with narratives more rooted in reality and more concerned with those whose needs are being overlooked.”
— Alison Collins 高勵思 is on Mastodon (@AliMCollins) February 17, 2022
“Progressive activists have a responsibility to counter moral panics with narratives more rooted in reality.” Let us know when they actually do that, Alison. Let us know when you do that. Maybe screenshotting that text and tweeting it out will help you remember!
https://twitter.com/SuliaJenifa/status/1494365243379748867
this is a trumpian level of self-importance and lack of self-awareness https://t.co/fUouNx5C9b
— Kane 謝凱堯 (@kane) February 17, 2022
Ironic, isn’t it?
Imagine calling Asian-Americans the n word and having the audacity to say this about centering unheard voices. https://t.co/UtaDx8BvyA
— techAdjacentLurker (@lurker_tech) February 17, 2022
This joker can’t stop, won’t stop. I was a fresh off the boat immigrant student. If my school was shutdown and I couldn’t learn to be culturally American by being in school, I would have dealt with so much more discrimination. @AliMCollins and her policies hurt minorities most https://t.co/XCluSwCVzF
— Devaraj (@DT318) February 17, 2022
Like a fighter that only possesses one move, all she can do is draw from the "muh racism" well, rather than reflect on what she got so dreadfully wrong. Hence a lopsided ass-whoopin’ was delivered. @esaagar and @krystalball lay it out https://t.co/5whwNVqb8W https://t.co/fq9if0cDQs
— MightyPen1984 (@MightyPen1984) February 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/angrybklynmom/status/1494354938373230596