To address racial incidents at Tamalpais High School, community members gathered at the Marin City Senior Center on April 16 at a meeting organized by the Marin City Community Services District (MCCSD).
It showcased a panel of forum speakers including Play Marin founder, Paul Austin, Tam High counselor Sandra Pula, Tam High mentor Keith Jackson, and founder of The Hannah Project Betty Hodges to collectively engage in a conversation regarding racism within Tam.
The meeting began with an introduction and clear intent of the forum.
“We need to discuss a serious topic … that is the racial incidents that are basically affecting our children,” Lynette Englauf, Board chair of MCCSD and paraeducator at Tam, said.
The forum was facilitated by Ayanna (Yaya) Morgan who guided conversations with parents, students, and outside community members.
As the meeting progressed to discuss recent racist incidents in Tam, such as the video showing a white student using the n-word from October and more recently, the photo of a student with swastikas and the n-word written on her forehead, were brought up.
Participants of the meeting also shared experiences of racism that took place at Tam well before these events. Community members shared their input and instances of recurring racism in the community as a whole.
The open conversation covered the current and future impact on students currently at Tam and incoming freshmen, solutions towards a more equitable and inclusive community, and how Tam has addressed these consistent racist reoccurrences.
“All of these people have a common goal and are taking steps and action to actually create change rather than just talking about it,” Tam student attendee Tawnie Winchester said.
The next Town Hall meeting is scheduled for May 1 to continue the conversation with community members.
“I feel like every meeting we [will work] closer to achieving some kind of change in the community,” Winchester said. “I think there’s obviously still a lot of work Tam has to do, but after leaving the meeting I feel inspired.”
