Gabriela Lopez, the president of the San Francisco school board, who was ousted in a recall election earlier this week, claims it was sparked by a backlash to fighting for racial justice.
In a tweet on Thursday, Lopez wrote, “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.”
“This headline says it all. If you are not outraged, you’re not paying attention,” she added.
This headline says it all. If you are not outraged, you’re not paying attention.
— Commissioner Gabriela López ?? (@lopez4schools) February 17, 2022
In a separate tweet, she posted a screenshot of a profanity-laden email and wrote, “‘But it’s NOT about race!’…I know some people were hurt and feel there was a victory, but so do these people. That is my point.”
Earlier this week, San Francisco voters chose to strip Lopez and two other board members of their positions.
As The New York Times notes, “The recall was a victory for parents who were angered that the district spent time deciding whether to rename a third of its schools last year instead of focusing on reopening them. It also appeared to be a demonstration of Asian American electoral power, a galvanizing moment for Chinese American voters in particular who turned out in unusually large numbers for the election.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D), who will name their replacement, reacted to the election in a statement, saying, “The voters of this city have delivered a clear message that the School Board must focus on the essentials of delivering a well-run school system above all else.”
“San Francisco is a city that believes in the values of big ideas, but those ideas must be built on the foundation of a government that does the essentials well,” she continued. “Elections can be difficult, but these parents were fighting for what matters most — their children.”
