San Francisco school board member Ann Hsu has apologized for racist comments she made in a candidate questionnaire about the challenges facing Black and brown students.
According to KTVU, Hsu said in a candidate questionnaire for November’s elections that it is challenging to educate Black and brown students because of their “unstable family environments” and “lack of parental encouragement.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed appointed Hsu to the school board in February after the recall of three board members. Now, Hsu is under fire for comments parents and community members say are racist and harmful. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, many have called for her resignation.
Hsu apologized Tuesday in a Twitter thread and said she believes it is important to address institutional racism in the education system.
“Second, in trying to convey my thoughts on this subject, I misspoke,” she wrote in part six of an eight-tweet-long thread. “My statements reflected my own limited experiences and inherent biases. I made a mistake, and I am deeply sorry.”
She added that she is committed to “listening, learning and growing as a person.”
Breed called the comments “wrong and hurtful,” reported SF Fist, but said it’s important that she apologized.
However, Board of Supervisor President Shamann Walton called on Hsu to resign.
“Yeah sure, thank you for the apology, but at the end of the day this is probably reflective of how a person really feels. It’s disheartening that someone like that is in a position to make decisions for our children.”
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