The Lens:
The San Francisco Board of Education has become a national laughing stock. As a native, I am used to the idea people have of everyone from San Francisco being a crazy liberal.
I used to consider myself on the conservative side. Then, I moved to Texas for a few years. I realized I am actually quite liberal. I am just conservative by SF standards. So, I see where the notion can take life.
Still, I would argue that much of the reputation we get is not from the politics of natives, but rather from people who move here because they are far left of center and think this is the ideal place for them to live. They then work to actively make San Francisco the epitome of liberal bastion-ism. In a sense, it like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In a quick look at the biographies of the above-mentioned Board, it appears three of the four, including the Board president, are not native San Franciscans. But, then again, four of them are.
If you have missed the controversy, the Board took it upon themselves, in a middle of pandemic when students are in crisis learning from home, to actively push to rename roughly 40% of our public schools in a cleansing of individuals linked to racism and oppression.
These include George Washington (he owned slaves) and Abraham Lincoln (this one is a little more complicated). There was an enormous backlash, partly due to the idea of removing the names of people who had an enormous positive impact on our nation. Also, in part due to the Board’s flawed research. Another factor included the idea of judging people who were products of their time by today’s standards. Shouldn’t we educate (as is the mission) rather than erase?
And, let’s not forget San Francisco schools had been closed for nearly a year with no reopening in sight. Why was the Board wasting time on this issue when there were much more urgent issues to address? But, the Board pressed on.
They finally found their conscience when suit was brought against the renaming of schools sighting the illegal lack of community involvement in the decision, and postponed the process.
There were so many things wrong with this whole episode in addition to what is mentioned above. I thought often of writing an opinion piece on the topic and submitting it to the local paper. But, where would I begin, what would I include, what would I leave out, for it would be impossible to include it all in an article short enough to be printed. In addition, numerous letters flooded the “Letters to the Editor” section that pointed out many of the concerns I had.
I am also sorely lacking in time. Writing such a piece would require more time than I had to spare. So many others had taken up the torch. Though it pained me, I took a step back.
The Refraction:
I am not sure what it was that I was watching the other night, but there was some mention that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had affairs. My heart just dropped. Could it be possible that this great man (who I name in my last post “Doing the Right Thing) was a philanderer?
I did a little Internet search and found no definitive evidence to prove this. Yet, there appears to be enough to raise a credible notion that he did. There is another disturbing allegation that is really hard to comprehend. In my unscientific research, I found allegations he also drank excessively.
I am honestly heartbroken. He is someone I greatly revere. He changed the world and died for his cause. His words inspire me to be a better person, to work for a better world. How can I take him down from this pedestal?
And, therein lies the problem. We put people on pedestals and forget that they were/are human beings. As humans, we are not perfect. We know this but still continue with the fallacy of expecting our heroes to be without fault. We set up an expectation that could never be fulfilled.
We all, every single one of us, are sinners. I can’t imagine anybody on this earth who hasn’t done something regrettable. The degree of regrettable-ness as well as the number of instances may vary widely. But, it is there for each one of us.
By the same token, we all, every single one of us, are saints. I can’t imagine anyone on this earth who hasn’t done something heartening. The degree of heartening-ness as well as the number of instances may vary widely. But, it is there for each one of us.
In a Wall Street Journal commentary by Lance Morrow on the MLK revelation, he advocates for grace. He extols MLK’s virtues without condoning his vices. He also makes the assertion we need our heroes, that we become lost without them.
In considering my opinion piece to the newspaper on the San Francisco school renaming proposition, this was one of the thoughts running through my head. Yes, in erasing the likes of Washington and Lincoln from the names of our schools, we erase their sins from our consciousness.
The horrible downside to that is we also erase their inspiration. We lose the example of ordinary people who rise to do extraordinary things and the encouragement that gives us to do the same.
Did you have someone you admired and then realized they are human? How did you grapple with that?
If we want heroes in our lives, we have to become open to reconciling that the saint and sinner that exists in each of us also exists within our heroes. We must be open to forgiveness and grace.