“We will continue to hold more of these events centered on different groups in the future, because the actions of a few hate-filled individuals will not hinder our DEI work at Hillcrest.” “Our school leadership and families started our formal diversity, equity, and inclusion work in 2019, engaging parents in dialogue and working with staff and families to build a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive,” the letter said. “No part of it led anyone to think that we should not continue on with our goals and what we’ve been planning.”įollowing the incident at Chabot, the Hillcrest PTA sent a supportive letter to the school community highlighting the work of its equity group. “It really galvanizes us and reinforces the importance of this work,” said Adriane Armstrong, one of the parent co-chairs of the equity and anti-racism committee at Crocker Highlands Elementary. In fact, it only further highlighted the value of these groups. Parents involved in diversity and equity groups who spoke to The Oaklandside said the backlash hasn’t discouraged them.
The threats culminated with a bomb threat that forced the school to be evacuated and closed for a day. Two weeks ago, the diversity and inclusion group at Chabot Elementary in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood was sent racist and threatening emails after it had organized a playdate for students of color at the school. In a school district with vast inequalities like Oakland Unified, where some school PTA’s raise hundreds of thousands of dollars per year while other schools almost exclusively serve low-income families and sometimes have no PTA at all, diversity and equity groups also provide a space for more privileged families to talk about how they can use their resources to help others. Some groups also provide opportunities for people to connect over traits beyond race and cultural background, like organizing events for LGBTQ families, or students who are neurodiverse. The purpose of Hillcrest’s DEI committee and others like it-which are often parent-led through a school’s PTA-is to provide a sense of community and belonging for students and families at schools where there are fewer students of color compared to other campuses. Gilmore, a former public school teacher, joined the school’s PTA last year and this year is the co-chair of the group’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee.
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