Published December 17, 2024
Support Equality and Free Speech in the Franklin McKinley School District!
Opposing Racial Segregation is NOT White Supremacy.
by
CFER
We have an urgent request – please go show your opposition against a race-based curriculum and your support of an independent trustee who was targeted due to his objection to the curriculum in the Franklin McKinley School District (FMSD).
If you are in the Bay Area, please attend a FMSD school board meeting tonight (Tuesday, Dec 17) at 6:30pmat 645 Wool Creek Dr., San Jose. If you are not in the area, you can still support by contacting the FMSD Board via email (email addresses provided below).
On December 10, the FMSD met and voted on an action item (No. 8.02) to approve a contract with Freedom Soul Media Education Initiatives. The contract outlines a pilot for a series of programs targeting only the school district’s “Black/African American Youth.” This $31,250 pilot includes:
· A curriculum and course for Black/African American students at Sylvandale Middle School.
· Monthly sessions for Black students.
· Documenting student experience and voice.
At the board meeting, Trustee Marc Cooper voiced his strong objections to using taxpayer funds on unconstitutional, race-based programs. His criticism was not well received as another board member Trustee Rudy Rodriguez immediately commented:
“We have one white person on our board and he's talking like he's from the KKK."
This is a serious attempt to silence and punish an independent school board member who dared to criticize a blatantly illegal program. Censuring Trustee Cooper on the basis of his race/color is an act of racism. We must not keep quiet!
If you can’t make it to the FMSD Board Meeting tonight in person, you can email the FMSD Board to voice your objection to the race-based curriculum and your support of Trustee Cooper. The Board can be reached at:
-Board President George Sanchez, george.sanchez@fmsd.org
-Board Vice President Milan Balinton, milan.balinton@fmsd.org
-Board Clerk Steven Sanchez, steven.sanchez@fmsd.org
-Board Trustee Marc Cooper, marc.cooper@fmsd.org
-Board Trustee Rudy Rodriguez, rudy.rodriguez@fmsd.org
Thank you for standing up for equality and free speech!
Contact:
Wenyuan Wu
wenyuan.wu@cferfoundation.org
About Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER):
We are a non-partisan and non-profit organization established following the defeat of Proposition 16 in 2020, with a mission to defend and raise public awareness on the cause of equal rights through public education, civic engagement and community outreach. In 1996, California became the first U.S. state to amend its constitution by passing Proposition 209 to ban racial discrimination and preferences. Prop. 209 requires that “the state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.” CFER is dedicated to educating the public on this important constitutional principle of equal treatment.