Submitted by Patricia Flores-Charter
Response to Stacy Keszei’s June 29 Statement:
In Stacy Keszei’s June 29 statement to the Coronado Community, she quoted an article from the L.A. Times by Gustavo Arellano on June 27. Her quote was taken out of context and failed to include Gustavo’s later text in which he explained how offensive this act was. Maybe she did not understand Gustavo’s tongue-in-cheek humor that is a hallmark of his writing. Maybe she did not make it to the end of his article. Misinformation about what racism is and looks like in 2021 must stop if we are to come together as a country and make the preamble of our constitution, the constitution, and its amendments real for everyone.
I have seen the attacks toward what, at this point, is consideration of curriculum in our schools that provides the opportunity to understand and discuss in a safe educational environment our history and its impact on minorities in our city and country. It is discourse like Ms. Keszei’s statement and her vote against the Equity Action Plan and No Place for Hate program used in other school districts that closes the door on meaningful consideration and understanding of experiences by people of color and LBGTQ past and present in our own community and country. Her vote and statement supported those who condemn these initiatives in Coronado and either believe we don’t have a problem or support the racist actions happening to some of our students in our schools. Her action closes the door on possible curricular initiatives that would demonstrate the value of all people and their experiences and leads to the understanding of our complete history. Any investigation will not include the impact on these young players and their families. That is where the board and our community must focus.
The basic Christian values and those of all religions teach the importance and meaning of kindness and consideration of others. Those tenets are and have been missing in all discussions of the human toll racist micro-aggressions and blatant racist acts have on so many. When we are not able to listen and consider immediately after the fact to what this meant to Orange Glen then we lack sensitivity and basic knowledge of racism and human kindness.
Patricia Flores-Charter,
Faculty Emeritus, Southwestern College
