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Students and alumni press SFUSD for action after racist display at Lowell High
Summary
Black Student Union members and alumni told the school board they staged a walkout over racist images and microaggressions at Lowell High School and presented a list of demands including more African American staff, mandatory ethnic studies and a community center; community leaders urged a task force to address trauma and accountability.
A large group of Lowell High School students, alumni and community members pressed the San Francisco Unified School District board on Feb. 16 to address what they called ongoing racism and microaggressions at the historic campus.
Members of Lowell’s Black Student Union described a viral incident that they said was the final straw in a pattern of discrimination and detailed examples ranging from derogatory senior-yearbook categories to classroom comments and social-media posts. Students told the board the school’s initial responses had felt inadequate and reactive, and they said administration only moved after the incident went public on social platforms.
Speakers laid out specific demands for district action: hire more African American teachers and staff; require cultural-sensitivity training for all teachers with disciplinary consequences for noncompliance; establish mandatory ethnic-studies coursework; create a full-time African American recruitment officer responsible for outreach and admissions; and create an African American community center on Lowell’s campus. Students also requested that a BSU representative be included in hiring processes and that restorative measures be long-term rather than temporary.
Parents, alumni and community advocates backed the students, recounting similar incidents across decades and urging the board to convene a task force of experts — including university researchers and trauma specialists — to design a durable response that addresses institutional and historical inequities.
Board members and district staff acknowledged the seriousness of the testimony and said they would follow up. Community members asked for clearly articulated, time-bound commitments. Union and advocacy groups that spoke later in the meeting urged the board to accelerate implementation of the district’s Safe and Supportive Schools work and to ensure families are fully included in reform efforts.
The board did not take formal action on the Lowell testimony during the Feb. 16 meeting. Several members said they were grateful to the students and pledged additional review and follow-up, including meetings with school leadership and plans for further site-level support.
