Help students face history
Regarding the mural: I write as a historian who pioneered ethnic and women’s studies at Napa’s community college. I later wrote a multicultural history of California in documents. It’s the lack of honest history that has the students freaked out. It’s the lying, whitewashing textbooks that give students a false picture of what happened. It’s the radical artists and historians who dare to tell and show the truth. In a time of massive lying from above, those who are in the trenches must help students to face history.
Lauren Coodley, Napa
No need to pay
College athletes are amateurs! Regarding “NCAA athletes deserve to be compensated” (Letters, July 9): The letter writer and state lawmakers proposing SB206 don’t seem to understand the definition of the term amateur athlete. All NCAAcertified college athletes are amateurs, i.e., they attend college, receive a valuable higher education, and play sports for their own and the colleges’ benefit, not for remuneration. The function of colleges and universities is higher education, not to serve as a development league for professional sports.
Some other things to consider: The work of student musicians and actors brings in money for their institutions, and no one has suggested that they share in this revenue; why are athletes different? Athletes who don’t want the college to use their name or image to publicize their sport can simply withhold their permission. Student athletes who require payment for use of their image are not amateurs and should not expect to play college sports.
Todd Silverstein, San Rafael
Believe minority families
I am a white parent of a white San Francisco Unified School District student. My family can never understand the experience of black and indigenous families. We rely on black and indigenous families to lead us. So when an indigenous student says that he bows his head in school every day to avoid seeing the “Life of Washington” mural, we believe him. When the SFUSD superintendent says that, as a black teenager, seeing the murals “was like a chunk of my soul was pulled out,” we believe him.
When the Black Panthers say that their children deserve murals that uplift and inspire, we believe them. When indigenous organizers say that they can teach us the long history of injustice in this country without help from a misguided mural, we believe them. Supporters of the mural say that they are allies in the cause of racial justice. Allyship, however, is not making decisions on behalf of marginalized students and families. It’s not insisting that the intentions of a longdead white man outweigh the mental health of living, breathing youths in our schools. Mural supporters need to take a long, hard look at what they are supporting and start believing black and indigenous families. It is beyond time. Paint it down.
Sasha HarrisCronin, San Francisco
Don’t turn off the power
I have been reading with interest about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to bail out the failing private utility companies with pubic and ratepayer money as well as the California Public Utility Commission’s rubberstamp approval of socalled “public safety” power outages.
I feel like the utilities are holding the people and the state of California hostage with this threat to turn off the power, and I, for one, do not want to pay any ransom. I also feel that turning the power off supposedly to prevent fires is the most monumentally stupid idea that I have ever heard. Lack of power will be nothing but a huge problem, especially if there is a fire. I think it is time for the state to take over the utility companies and run them for the good of all Californians, not for the profit of a few.
Thomas McFadden, Philo
Mural solution
Regarding “Add signage instead” (Letters, July 9): This is a fine solution to the George Washington High School mural problem. It saves the artwork and its message. It enhances the educational function of the institution. It preserves needed funds for more pressing educational needs. It removes all question of censorship. Frank Kieliger, San Francisco
Don’t erase the history
It’s bad enough that we’ve become the city that breaks down a journalist’s door and handcuffs him. Now San Francisco, known for valuing its artists, is to become the city that censors them and destroys their works of art because they deal with themes and historical events that are uncomfortable? We’re the city that erases history? To quote George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Karl Jonas, San Francisco
Climate destabilization
Regarding “Aging to and resources for parenthood” ( July 7): I am writing in response to the piece by Stacy Torres, about the fact that more women and couples are deciding not to reproduce. The issues Torres brought up are significant and need to be addressed in our society, but the primary reason not to bring children into our world is climate destabilization.
You may not understand how terrible life will be for future generations, but, unfortunately it will be. Even if we were now aggressively addressing climate change, we have let it go too long to avoid serious disruption to life as we know it. Think Mad Max. Torres, you have made a good decision, and I hope more women make that same decision. We have done a grievous disservice to future life on our planet. If we don’t act immediately, well, it’s game over.
Paula Helene, San Rafael
BART’s guillotine gates
Regarding “BART’s new gates open to jeers, cheers” (Page 1, July 10): Well, even if BART’s new doubledecker gates — which some have compared to guillotines — don’t discourage fare cheaters, they will certainly reduce the amount of complaints about this troubleplagued transit system. After all, headless riders can’t talk.
Vernon Greene, Oakland