Los Alamos schools ignored discrimination

About the article (“Discrimination lawsuit targets Los Alamos public schools,” Dec. 16), which reported on the allegations of discrimination lodged against the Los Alamos Public Schools and the administrative response to them.

A student’s complaints about her racially based treatment within the Los Alamos schools have been ignored, and her mother’s appointed work in anti-discrimination has been downgraded to a virtually meaningless level.

To the extent that the child’s complaint and the mother’s demotion are related, Los Alamos Public Schools have much to regret.

It is an utter disgrace that this kind of behavior continues to this day. It will be recalled that a Black man lost his livelihood by simply trying to get a haircut in Los Alamos — but that was in the 1950s. To hear that the denial of racism and the withdrawal of commitment to combat it is actively happening today in our beautiful state, with its high potential to set higher standards and to lead the way in promoting equity, inclusion and diversity, is crushing. Further, where children are encountering racism in what should be a protected learning environment, silence and refusal to confront it is compliance.

We are appalled that the responses to the concerns of the students by the educator was to repeat the N-word. As a result of these responses, students have been deeply harmed by the insensitivity and lack of interest in their well-being by the very people who are trusted to teach them. In this time, with all of the work done in virtually all public arenas, to not be aware and sensitive to the presence and effect of racism is inexcusable.

As Maya Angelou famously said, “When you know better, do better.” At the minimum, that the staff of the Los Alamos Public Schools have not received adequate sensitivity training or support for educators to deal with these kinds of violations of human decency is difficult to understand or accept.

Our questions are simple. How long can ignorance be an excuse for insensitive behavior? How long will we, as a community, allow discomfort to silence us when these types of issues arise? Finally, who is responsible for this racial trauma actively being passed down to the children in our community?

Teenagers are not responsible for errant behavior when the adults have failed to guide and teach them. It is high time we demand transparency and accountability from those who are charged with shaping young minds and educating our educators. We owe that to the next generation, if nothing else.

At this point, there is no excuse for anyone to use ignorance as an excuse for inaction. One of the most foundational concepts in education is that of the lifelong learner, but what happens when the educators at the highest levels have chosen ignorance over empathy? What happens when the learning environment becomes emotionally unsafe for children and young adults?

It is never too late to recognize our past failures and accept the responsibility to correct them. The time to change and act is now. Social justice delayed today for Black children is social justice denied for children and adults in every protected class. Let us not hide our heads in the sand. The fight for acknowledgement, equity and inclusion must be done in the light and with our eyes and hearts opened.

Simesha McEachern is the president of the Santa Fe branch of the NAACP. Lou Levin is a former NAACP Santa Fe branch president.