San Francisco NAACP calls on SFUSD trustee Ann Hsu to resign over racist remarks
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/BCN) – The San Francisco branch of the NAACP voted unanimously Sunday (105-0) to demand the resignation of San Francisco School Board Trustee Ann Hsu over racist remarks she made in a public questionnaire.
Hsu - who was appointed to the post by Mayor London Breed following the February recall of three board members in a special election - made headlines last week that have many, including fellow board members, calling for her ouster.
In response to a candidate questionnaire for the San Francisco Parent Action Coalition, Hsu wrote "unstable family environments" and "lack of parental encouragement" posed challenges for educating Black and brown students.
The NAACP said Sunday its executive board met with Hsu last week "concerning her hurtful, racist remarks concerning Black students and families in San Francisco."
"Her comments indicate a profound disconnect between Hsu and the Black community and blame the effects of systemic racism on the targets of that racism," Rev. Amos Brown, the president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP, said in a statement.
The NAACP said Hsu told its board "she has very limited knowledge of Black people and that she is a scientist by profession, not a politician."
"These reasons not only ring hollow but are illogical on their face," Brown said. "Scientists gather empirical evidence to prove or disprove a theory before stating it as fact. Yet she chose to make shockingly false statements about Black students and families while having no meaningful knowledge about them."
Brown said the group accepts Hu's apology, but "it is not enough to overcome the damage she has done. The Black community in San Francisco cannot put its trust in her to be an advocate for the needs of Black students, especially access to all the educational opportunities available to other students in the district."
The statement said the group "demands that Ann Hsu resign from her position immediately."