SPS investigates racist slavery-themed item in Wilson Elementary newsletter

An employee at Wilson Elementary School issued a newsletter late last week with allegedly racist content, leading Spokane Public Schools to investigate the incident and the staff involved.

In a weekly newsletter sent out Friday, a staff member wrote of an upcoming jazz performance and invited recipients to “take a trip from today, way back to the times of slavery in America,” writing that students could “dress as slaves, hobos, or ready for a night out to the jazz clubs.” The school shared the newsletter with families.

Within 30 minutes, staff revised the letter , according to an email that Wilson Principal Christina Admire sent to families on Friday. In the email, Admire apologizes for any harm inflicted by the content of the letter that “does not in any way align with our values.”

Concerned with the content in the letter, several parents, community members and district officials notified the Spokane NAACP, said chapter President Lisa Gardner.

“It seems to be something that is repeated; each year we seem to come across cultural insensitivities and missing the mark when it comes to teaching the curriculum,” Gardner said.

In a statement released Monday, the NAACP compares the suggestions of the invitation to minstrel shows prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States. In these routines, white actors would don blackface and perform dances, songs and skits mocking African Americans and perpetuating stereotypes that contributed to their oppression during and after the Jim Crow era.

“This type of entertainment is deplorable, unacceptable and demeaning to African Americans, but especially to our youth,” the statement read.

The suggested costumes are not part of the district’s approved curriculum, according to a statement provided by district spokesperson Ryan Lancaster.

Gardner said she was satisfied with the district’s response to the racist remarks, and relieved that they intervened before any more potential problems.

“It doesn’t mean we’re removed from racism, that we’re removed from cultural insensitivity, that we’re removed from these different missteps when it comes to cultural curriculum,” Gardner said. “There’s still teachable moments; this in itself is a teachable moment.”

The lesson to be learned, Gardner said, is that vigilance is required in all areas to address racism.

“Where one faculty makes the misstep, the greater community called it out,” Gardner said. “That’s how we start to pluck out the racism, when the community sees it and calls it out and we can extract it from the system.”

The district’s Human Resources department is in the midst of a “full-scale investigation” of the situation.

“The actions of the employee do not represent our district values or the professional judgment of the thousands of educators in SPS who have committed countless hours of training over the last four years toward more cultural responsiveness and awareness,” the statement reads.

Gardner said she’s planning to meet with Superintendent Adam Swinyard to evaluate how the NAACP can assist with cultural competency training for educators.

School board president Nikki Otero Lockwood said the district updated training around cultural sensitivity and diversity, equity and inclusion prior to the incident. She said she agreed with the apology sent to families and wasn’t sure if the board would be initiating a new review on their training. District administration will brief the board on the situation at the school board meeting Wednesday.

“As a nation, we haven’t been talking about these things very well. It’s been silent for so long that we’re still working on our language and addressing issues of race,” Lockwood said. “I hope our district continues to see the importance of this work.”

Gardner said on Monday she’s still getting notices from residents, and the “diligence” encourages her.

“We’re working with a community that gets it, but at the same time with a community that has a long way to go,” Gardner said.