SBUnified
The Santa Barbara Unified Board of Trustees formally established the Committee Advancing Black Achievement, Wellness, and Excellence (CABAWE) as an advisory committee.
CABAWE advises SB Unified by monitoring, evaluating, and providing feedback and recommendations on resources, curriculum, staff training, and school programs that support safe and enriching educational experiences for Black and African American students, families, and staff.
This committee is a successor to the Combating Anti-Blackness Working Group (CABWG) first formed in Spring 2022. That group recruited equity-focused parents, school district representatives, and a variety of educational partners to develop strategies that combat systemic bias, racism, and anti-Blackness within the school district.
During the 2022-23 school year, a Racial Climate Survey was conducted with students, staff, families, and community members.
One suggestion made in the report was creating a formal advisory committee to the Board of Trustees. CABAWE was selected at the start of the 2023-24 school year with two elementary student parents, two secondary student parents, and three SB Unified staff (1 elementary school, 1 junior high school, 1 high school). It then spent the past year assessing the work it would do and how to carve out its role and function as an advisory committee.
Superintendent Dr. Hilda Maldonado says, “Our Black students, families and others have shared painful stories about their lived experiences within our district that span generations. We are called to ensure that our students experience school environments that are welcoming, safe and trusting. We must celebrate all the greatness of our Black students and continue to recommit to their success.”
Board Member Gabe Escobedo pointed out that the road to progress won’t be easy and that “means making sure that this is not performative. And that there is space to speak truth and be honest with each other and point out the places where we fall short…we need to acknowledge that and really embrace this as an opportunity.”
Hopeful of what the hard work will mean for the future, Board President Wendy Sims-Moten said, ‘“We gotta ask the question, ‘How was your experience today?’ because we gotta change that experience. We are focused on anti-Blackness. Once we get that right, it will benefit the rest of us. It is incumbent on us to determine if things will deteriorate or improve. I know we have our finest moments ahead of us.”
To read the resolution approved at Tuesday night’s meeting, click here.
@Hammonds – your comment was offensive. That’s likely why it was removed. Educate yourself on the topic.
And it’s not censorship. Edhat is a private company that can do whatever it wants. You broke the rules, you got deleted. Email them if you’re that upset about it then maybe educate yourself on what censorship is too.
So the school district is going to combat racism by forming a race-based group. Absolutely illogical. If the the school board feels the need to establish another committee, why don’t they include any and all discrimination without resorting to a race-based theme and name?
It is not a “group”….it is an advisory committee as stated in the name: Committee Advancing Black Achievement, Wellness, and Excellence. This committee is not going to discriminate against other races. They will focus on combating anti-blackness. Santa Barbara stands with our local black community in a big way. Simply look at the support with all of the Black Lives Matter signs in yards and businesses. Just look at the public art/signs/murals….Brownie’s Market (Haley & De la Vina), Crushcakes (Anacapa & Arlington….officially declared a Safe Space), EOS Lounge (Anacapa & Haley), and the list goes on and on.
Well said.
Thank you for this @BeesKnees.
You can’t combat racism by ignoring it or pretending you’re “colorblind”.
If you grew up in the United States you were routinely exposed to, and more likely indoctrinated with anti-black racist thought, sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant. You may have overcome some of it, and have learned to control your tongue and your behavior, but until you deeply examine your own thinking you’ll never know. You have also lived with and perhaps benefited from anti-black racist policies that have long existed in nearly all aspects of commercial and economic practice, institutional educational practice, medical practice and entertainment just to name a few.
These are incontrovertible and well-documented facts of life in America, and it should be the goal of every person who loves this country to improve on this front, starting with the self and moving outwards. That requires honest effort by individuals working together, so I applaud the district for taking this on, but we should keep realistic expectations. How much impact they have will be difficult if not impossible to measure, and we can expect backlash behavior from individuals, and recriminations (such as your post) for simply bringing the issue up. Nonetheless, overtly combating racism of all kinds is long, long overdue and vitally important for our children.
Thank you for this Kirk. There are not many Black children at SBunified but the ones there are routinely targeted by other kids. Parents at school board meetings have vocalized this for years. If anyone has more uneducated and illogical responses to this program should talk to the parent of a Black child first. Or simply understand that minorities have different and oftentimes more challenging experiences in a town that’s largely white, straight, christian, etc.
I think you are completely wrong with all this assuming how we grew up and how we treat others.
@Anon – based on your comment I am going to assume you are an older white person that does not have children or grandchildren that are Black and enrolled at SBunified. Simply put, you are uneducated on the topic. Black families in SB have dealt with a lot of racism at schools and they’ve been advocating for something like this for years. Your rush to assume this is somehow discriminatory screams of ignorance and fear. Educate yourself.
BASIC – “There will always be a person or two who will call this approach “racist”, of course!”
Glad you’re finally becoming more self aware. Really, it’s more ignorant and predictably simplistic than full on racist. You’re heading the right direction though. Good job!