Antiracist advocacy groups are calling for an independent investigation on long-standing reports of racial harassment against Black teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Leaders from The Black Educator Advocates Network and NAACP San Fernando Valley Branch alleged during a press conference last week that Black teachers and staff have been called racial slurs, including the “N-word,” by students on online learning platforms with little to no disciplinary action. Black teachers claim after reporting the incidents to school administrators, they faced retaliation instead of administrative support.
Significance. According to Jalisa Evans, the CEO of Black Educator Advocates Network, these incidents are part of a larger pattern of long-standing racial harassment and racism perpetuated by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Overlooked angle. The Trump administration’s de facto hobbling of antiracist educational efforts within the Department of Education, including offices charged with pursuing harassment and inequity claims, has had a chilling impact on the country’s public school systems. State-backed initiatives to whitewash curriculum have hampered educators’ abilities to teach students that racial harassment and racist ideas are wrong, creating a climate in which intolerance is normed.
Who this impacts. Black teachers shared stories of how they’ve been harassed by students during the press conference. Students allegedly called teachers the “N-word during class,” wrote racial slurs on classroom desks and walls, and sent racist messages through Schoology and Zoom platforms during online learning in the pandemic.
The power structure. According to Evans, racial harassment against Black teachers dates back to at least 2020 and is well documented. When reporting the harassment to school administrators, teachers are met with “a calculated pattern of retribution” like poor performance evaluations, involuntary transfers, demotions, and professional isolation, the Black Educator Advocates Network said in a statement. Some teachers formed the Hate Speech Task Force to formally report incidents. However, the Black teachers at LAUSD claim state and district officials have made empty promises that have yet to produce any accountability. The Emancipator reached out to the Los Angeles Unified School District for response.
What experts say. Rev. James Thomas, president of the NAACP San Fernando Valley Branch, said accountability must include addressing the broader culture that allows racial harassment to persist. “If teachers are being disrespected in the way they are, can you imagine what’s happening to students?” Thomas said in a statement. “What happens to Black people in [Los Angeles Unified School District], no one cares about. That has to change.”
