SOUTHLAKE, TX – It’s undeniably true that on May 1 Southlake voters overwhelmingly rejected a slate of city and school board candidates focused on increased diversity and inclusion in the affluent and mostly white town.
It’s also true, however, that those who were elected would make a serious and lasting error if they ignore the reality that many Southlake residents of color have suffered from racism in the place they call home.
Two incidents, in 2018 and 2019, when Southlake students were filmed chanting racial slurs, only confirmed through social media what minority residents have experienced for years — that a current of racism runs there that must be addressed.
After the school district sought to address the problem through diversity training and other measures, a great political rift emerged. This election was the fullest exposure yet of that rift.
The slate of winning candidates were backed by a political action committee called Southlake Families, which claims on its website that while racism exists around the world, it is rare in Southlake. The PAC rejected a “Cultural Competence Action Plan” intended to address racism and diversity, saying the plan would only increase racism. It also connected the plan to potential attacks on Christian student clubs and suggested it could lead to something like a “Black Lives Matter” week at Southlake schools.
In others, it took an inflammatory approach to politics with suggestions that were unfounded, and it also mischaracterized the work of the diversity council.
Those who were elected with Southlake Families’ support need to distance themselves from that rhetoric of fear. Instead, the incoming school board members should sincerely listen to the fears and concerns being voiced by constituents who have invested their lives and their children’s lives in Southlake only to face racial hostility. These episodes have occurred, and they need to be addressed.
Therefore it is important that Southlake take concrete action toward racial unity. This is an area where the town’s faith leaders could prove immensely helpful, but it is also an area where elected officials must now lead. This is not a time to crow about an electoral victory or pretend the election results erase appalling and shameful episodes and the lived experience of constituents of color in the town. It’s time to show empathy and respect toward all people and especially those who have endured racism and prejudice.
This must be a hard and long conversation aimed at unity and understanding. It’s the work Southlake, and indeed our entire nation, must engage.
