In San Francisco, Virus is Contained but Schools Are Still Closed

[Rob Wick]

Quote:If the school board in your local community also proposed renaming the local Abraham Lincoln High School (if there is one) for the very same justifiable reasons as determined by the Panel for Renaming of San Francisco Schools, what would you do? Something or nothing?

If you're asking me would I support such a move, the answer is no. If you're asking me would I actively fight against the proposal, then the answer is also no. At most, if given the opportunity to make a public statement, I might consider it only because my deep interest in Lincoln provides me a perspective that might be helpful in reaching a decision, but I would not make it a holy crusade because my belief that Lincoln is someone worth studying and knowing about is not contingent on other people's point of view. Plus, I don't believe mounting a crusade would change any minds.

I'm going to make a prediction. If you approach your campaign by saying the board's decision (provided it does what you think it will do..I'm not convinced it will) was "unfair" and "unjust" then you are going to have your hat handed to you, and rightfully so.

If, however, you approach it from the perspective that the board erred in agreeing to the panel's position (provided that's what it does), and then pointing out why you believe that, you might be competitive. I normally wouldn't do this, but I'll make you a deal. I will write a statement that you should give, and give you permission to use it, provided you do not edit or change anything of substance (meaning you can change the style of it, but not the content).

"I am running for a seat on the SFUSD Board of Education because of my strong belief that as we emerge out of the deadliest global pandemic we have known in 100 years, it is imperative that we marshal all our resources for our most precious obligation--the education of our children. Spending $10 million to rename schools in the midst of this crisis shows poor judgment and deprives our children of their right to a proper education by diverting precious resources from their intended goal, which is giving our children the tools that will help them survive no matter what challenges they face.

I also fear that we are sending the wrong message to our children. There is no one among us who hasn't done things we are not proud of. We have every right to expect that those people we choose to lead us through times like the recent pandemic or the shedding of blood in a fratricidal battle for the soul of our nation are of the highest moral character. But what message do we send to our children when we suggest that even if those leaders make terrible choices that they are beyond redemption? To be sure, they must first accept their own failings and admit to their mistakes, but to judge how well they did requires a historical literacy that I fear is lacking in our citizenry. There are very few people in our society, or our history, that are all good or all bad. If we demand perfection in an imperfect world then we dilute the lessons we can impart to the future generation by showing them how people are able to overcome the failings that inhibit growth in us all.

I don't for a moment suggest that we ignore those failings. I sincerely believe that the majority of our leaders were more than aware of the contradictions that plagued their most private thoughts. But how one looks and interprets those failings, I believe, determines how one looks at their fellow citizens, both locally and globally. Some will argue that their decisions reflected their desire to obtain and protect a power that came at the expense of others. In some ways that is correct. But I insist that those who dispute the vision that I accept realize that while it is perfectly fine to look for strong moral standards from our leaders, we must also exhibit it ourselves.

One of my personal heroes, and the subject of one of the board's decisions, Abraham Lincoln, once said, “In this age, and this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever moulds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.” Lincoln also exhibited a self-awareness that as a leader he was not imbued with a special sense as to what is right and what is wrong. Noting that his time was not the "days of miracles" Lincoln insisted that his only option was to "study the plain physical facts of the case … and learn what appears to be wise and right.”

Lincoln, and our other leaders, were not always successful in instituting their vision for a more just society. Lincoln's heart ached for the 38 men he consigned to the hangman's noose, but his belief in justice and the rule of law suggested to him that was the only just outcome. I accept that not everyone will agree with him, or me. But I hope that as a member of society, and as a member of our school board, I can look at issues and somehow glean the proper path from what my heroes did, both good and bad. And I refuse to be ashamed in looking at many of these people as heroes. I also hope that as a society we realize that always striving for our success and the success of those around us requires not perfection, but humility and a desire to bring about what Lincoln once called "the last best hope of earth."

Best
Rob