Hamartia Antidote
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San Francisco school board members Alison Collins, left, Faauuga Moliga and Gabriela López
Asian Americans flex their voting power in San Francisco school board recall
The recall effort was largely driven by Asian American parents who were discontent with the board's delay in reopening schools.
www.axios.com
Asian Americans proved themselves to be a critical voting bloc this week as San Francisco overwhelmingly voted to remove three school board members from office.
Why it matters: The recall effort was largely driven by Asian American parents who were discontent with the board's delay in reopening schools, accused board members of unfairly prioritizing efforts to rename schools and were upset about plans to install a lottery admissions system at a prestigious local high school.
- The controversy spiraled further out of control after one board member's 2016 tweets resurfaced. Commissioner Alison Collins had used racist tropes to accuse Asian Americans of indulging in "white supremacist thinking" while discussing anti-Blackness in Asian communities.
- The comments led to an immediate backlash in the city, which experienced a 567% spike in anti-AAPI hate crimes last year.
- Proponents of the recall courted voters through Mandarin and Cantonese ads, emphasized the board's role in changing admissions policies and amplified outrage over Collins' old tweets, according to KQED.
- Opponents accused the campaign of diverting time and money from more urgent concerns, such as the district's need to address a $125 million budget deficit and replace its retiring superintendent, AP reports.
- But the effort paid off on Tuesday as each board member drew over 70% of votes supporting their removal, per results tallied by the San Francisco Department of Elections.
What's next: Mayor London Breed, who praised the parents "who tirelessly organized and advocated" after the election, will appoint replacements to the board.
The big picture: Asian Americans make up roughly 34% of the San Francisco population.
‘You Have to Give Us Respect’: How Asian Americans Fueled the San Francisco Recall (Published 2022)
The landslide vote to remove three school board members cut across ethnicities and income levels. But Chinese American voters and volunteers were crucial to victory, organizers say.
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