Jill and Tracy Have a Talk

Because this is an easy post to write on a Saturday night, I thought I'd dash it off.

Jill would be director Jill Geary and Tracy is, well, Castro-Gill.

Now Castro-Gill says at her blog that she's "tenacious" and has this tough girl stance.  And, of course, verbally, even more so.

But the conversation she had at her Facebook page, pleading with Director Geary to create a policy to protect her and others in the district doing "anti-racist work" was then kinda confusing.

On October 23rd, she said this:

More hate mail today. Chandra Hampson and Jill Schlegel Geary - this is why language to protect those of us doing explicitly anti-racist work is needed in an anti-racist policy. This kind of shit has been non-stop for the past 3 days. Phone calls, emails, tweets...
Where's my anti-racist employer on this?

Now, I assume she includes Hampson in this missive because she thinks that Hampson will win a Board post and then, hopefully, help her.  No, wait, it's probably because Geary said Hampson is helping her draft an "anti-racist" policy.  (But I did ask Geary and she said she'd be asking for public input.  I still have not seen that call for public input.)

Castro-Gill includes an email which makes a comment on her body.  (And when a person goes that personal, they really have no valid argument.)

One person said this:

Tracy have you filed a report with the police for harassment . This is going way to (sic) far. This is also deformation (sic) of character which can be held on them in court.

Another comment:

This is absolutely terrible! I whole heartedly  (sic) agree that the policy needs to protect its employees! You know like all good organizations?! And yes we have your back and may have to visit the school board.

Geary speaks up:

While I sympathize, being one who receives a significant amount of angry mail, I still don't know what a policy would do for this particular problem. The power of SPS is very limited and a policy without teeth is meaningless. I would suggest you have IT help you develop filters so you can divert emails int a separate box and then only look at them when you are in the right frame of mind. Otherwise ignoring them will give them the least amount of power over you or in any other regard.

 So, Geary says the policy she is developing - I assime the reference is to the anti-racist policy - will be "without teeth?"  Hmmmm.  Good suggestion on the filters but I don't think there are ones that could truly filter out this stuff.

Just to note, at least one Board candidate has expressed fear over a threat; Geary is right to point out that Board members get called out at Board meetings, in person, on the phone, in emails and even at the grocery store.

Teacher Jon Greenberg answers Geary:

Yes, one has limited control of trolling from outside the district, but so much of the stress Tracy experiences comes from WITHIN the district. If the policy can’t protect against that stress, which is entirely tied to racism, then what is the point?

Her job is literally anti-racism. An anti-racist policy that doesn’t protect anti-racist positions makes little sense.

 Wait, what? Trolling is definitely wrong.  But if there are people in the district who don't support Castro-Gill's work (or presentation of such) is criticism then of her always racism just because the works in Ethnic Studies? So that means no one can ever say anything negative or uncomplimentary about Castro-Gill's work or else that means they are racist?

Geary replies:

Ah, I thought the examples given now we're from outside the district. They are very stressful. As to internal issues, why doesn't the SEA protect it's  (sic) employees from harassing each other as they do their work? I am still unclear on what a district policy giving one set of employees greater protections would look like and how it would function in regard to the contractual legal protections offered through the CBA. This is a conversation that is better off-line and would take significant legal analysis so as not to give employees conflicting legal rights that only result in litigation with the district stepping in it on all directions.

Interesting. Why did Geary think the trolling was coming from the SEA? But, as a lawyer, she seems to be on solid ground on how the district could possibly afford more protections to one group of employees over others and, as well, possibly trample on their First Amendment rights.

Another commenter replies:

SEA doesn’t represent employees in disputes with fellow members. Also, your question assumes that the people who are harassing Tracy and confounding her work are SEA-represented staff, not leadership or District staff. Establishing board policy for dealing with racialized harassment of staff engaged with ethnic studies and racial equity work should be on the Board’s agenda if the institution they oversee is a truly antiracist one.

Learn something new every day. If the SEA doesn't act as ref between members, who does?

Castro-Gill adds:

I'm no longer an SEA member. None of the program managers in CAI are.

What's kind of interesting about that statement is that in speaking of the hires Castro-Gill wants to make, she wants them to be from SEA (which most people working at JSCEE are not).  

She continues with Geary:

a big difference between your hate mail and what I'm experiencing is that this is my livelihood. I am a target of racists who are bent on causing me harm. Several folx in Seattle have already sent emails asking for my removal. Someone I've never met before filed a HIB against me. My job title, in itself, makes some folx uncomfortable or angry. What protects me from being targeted by folx inside our organization? What protects me and other folx doing explicitly anti-racist work from being fired or disciplined because white folx in the community complain?

So again, everyone who may have a complaint about her work style or verbage is a racist?   (FYI, HIB is Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying and that pretty much speaks for itself in this case.)

She truly seems to miss that it is unlikely about the work of Ethnic Studies; it's her style and her take-no-prisoners attitude.  She's been told that over and over and yet, that's still her work plan. And how does she know all the complaints are coming from "white folx?"

Again, there's some kind of ability that she and Chandra Hampson have in order to be able to decide, by name or just a glance, what someone's racial background is.

Geary answers:

I get that. A policy for a situation of one is really a hard thing to do.

Castro-Gill (still looking for a promise from Geary to do something):

what about DREA staff, RET members, ethnic studies advisory board members and curriculum writers? It's not just me.

I'd be willing to bet that if, in all those people she listed, there are more than a handful of complaints about any one person. 

One person then says that she will write to the Superintendent and another person then answers:

this superintendent is not helping either sad to say. .. I hope you have some pull, otherwise it will just sit on her desk until she is out of office.She doesn't seem to care about anything to do with Ethnic Studies or Rasist acts in SPS.
I pray your letter helps.

Well, that's interesting. The Superintendent doesn't care about "rasist" acts in SPS?

Then another person comes in (and don't miss her last thought):

We need to support you in any way we can. This is what we’re meant to fight against. Maybe they’ll tire of this but it could also be ramping up because of coming election too. I am so so sorry you’re being targeted and harassed by racists and not defended/ protected by your employer. I will write or try to get an email/ letter campaign, whatever is helpful. They need to be scared.

Again, wait, what?  Castro-Gill is worried about her job security and so the answer is to scare others?

Hampson finally chimes in:

this is horrible for you to have to deal with. I hear you. Proactive action by the district would provide much better coverage for you. As is too often the case in institutions like the District our approach is either reactionary or PR orientation rather than effective communication and support for people doing the ground level work. I wish I could say I’m surprised that these trolls are out there and on the attack. I’m free today off and on and will try to connect. 

I wish she had been specific in what "proactive action"by the district would look like.

I have heard that the Superintendent actually does like Castro-Gill's harsh attitude but doesn't like it when it comes around to her or her staff.