Civil rights leaders seek assemblyman’s resignation

Coalition is angered by alleged ‘racist’ comments Chu made to a Chinese language paper

A broad coalition of Silicon Valley civil rights leaders are calling for Assemblyman Kansen Chu to resign over “racist and bigoted” comments they say he made about African American and Latinx children’s ability to learn and compete in school.

Chu’s alleged comments were printed in a Chinese language newspaper, World Journal, in a

June 11 article, and, according to a translation provided by the San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP, Chu said many Hispanic Americans told him “they did not care about their children’s education, they are busy with their livelihoods, and they did not intend to let their children attend college.”

Chu is also alleged to have said “many Hispanic and African ethnic groups are unable to compete or have the ability to continue their studies due to unresolved structural economic and educational problems.”

“It’s absurd for him to even say that. No parent would even dare say that about their kids,” Victor Garza, Chairman of La Raza Roundtable de California said in an interview Tuesday.

Chu’s alleged comments appeared in an article focusing on California Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 5, or ACA 5, which would ask voters to decide in November whether Proposition 209, the state’s ban on affirmative action, should be repealed.

Chu last week abstained from casting a vote on the amendment, which passed overwhelmingly in the Assembly and is expected to pass in the State Senate. But some calling for Chu’s resignation say his alleged comments in the World Journal show that he is opposed to affirmative action.

“This guy is actually showing his colors as a very racist person. He didn’t say that to us, he said that to a Chinese newspaper,” Garza said.

A staff member for Chu said

Tuesday the assemblyman was not available for an interview, and Chu did not respond to a message left on his phone seeking comment for this article. Chu represents portions of North San Jose, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Fremont and Newark

In a statement issued on his website Tuesday, Chu denied making the comments, and said the World Journal article “was written with the reporter’s own opinion and not direct or literal quotes from me.”

He said the World Journal has since published an article “clearly stating that I did not make those remarks,” and also claimed the NAACP-provided translation was not accurate.

Chu is a former Berryessa Union School District board member who is running to replace termedout Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese.

“I unequivocally deny saying that Latinos do not value education, especially as a public servant who has a track record of supporting diversity and human and civil rights. Specifically, I said that there exists deep institutional barriers for Latino and African American students,” Chu said.

“What was not said in the World Journal was that I said the solution would be more funding for schools serving our underserved communities,” he added.

But some civil rights advocates aren’t buying Chu’s explanation.

“If he was so concerned about being misquoted, why didn’t he come out before we did?” Walter Wilson, a longtime South Bay civil rights activist, said Tuesday in an interview.

“He can’t be trusted, the guy is talking out of two sides of his face,” Wilson said, claiming Chu didn’t vote on ACA 5 because his base of “Chinese conservative” voters wouldn’t support it, but that Chu wouldn’t dare say such “racist and bigoted” things in English.

“If he ran on that platform, he wouldn’t be elected dogcatcher,” Wilson said.

Garza also claimed that Chu was insulting young Asian Americans who support ACA 5, by suggesting in the World Journal article those younger people don’t understand the issue.

Garza, who in the 1970s became the first Latino elected to the Berryessa school board, said all people of color have fought in California for decades to better fund education and opportunities for all students.

He said he has never heard a parent of any background tell a school board member they don’t care about their children’s education.

“Those that are successful and go to college, their parents are crying because of happiness, because they are so proud that their children have broken barriers in their families to be able to be successful and get an education,” Garza said.

“Most people that are in trouble when they are elected officials, the first thing they say is, ‘They took it out of context,’ and that is not true. No, he’s lying. Blatantly lying to the people,” Garza said of Chu.

“I have no doubt he is committed to education. But not committed to education for people of color, not committed to education for Hispanic Latinos, or African Americans, and not committed to education for Native Americans,” Garza said. “How can we let a person like that continue to be elected to support and represent our community which is composed of mostly people of color?”