Speaking in favor of Olympia School Board's appointment of Taluana Reed

The Olympia School Board’s unanimous decision to appoint Talauna Reed to the board has sparked vocal hate cloaked in concern. Ms. Reed is the first African American board member and has criticized the police in her past. People are so upset that her appointment was covered by Fox News. Local anger was on display during the tense November board meeting where 30+ people gave public comment, all but one regarding Ms. Reed. Angry commenters pounded fists and shook their heads while denouncing the board and expressing outrage over Ms. Reed’s past. The bashing of her beliefs, lived experiences, and qualifications were clarified by two speakers to be “not racism”, but concern for students. 

Roaring applause after hateful comments was met with solidarity from people who actually know Ms. Reed. An Olympia Student Equity Committee member countered the fear mongering that this appointment jeopardizes student safety by sharing that they look up to Ms. Reed as “a community organizer and inspiring woman who is doing the kind of work to help underserved people and make positive change that I want to do in my future.” 

The truth expressed by students, alumni, parents, workers, and community members at the podium revealed that Ms. Reed is a compassionate, community-building visionary. One pursuing a holistic, justice-centered approach to safety. In a public statement, Ms. Reed shared her goal of restoration and giving children and adults hope while utilizing trauma-informed practices in order to not cause further harm. She wrote that “Safety starts from within by creating a school culture where all students, staff, and community members are treated with dignity and respect.” 

By reorienting us to the reality that we keep us safe, she challenges the dominant narrative that safety is maintained externally by police. That helps us understand that we can have safe communities by creating a culture where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Things the police are designed to prevent, as validated by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley when he asserted, “The police are not here to create disorder, they’re here to preserve disorder.” That is, disorder for the working class, marginalized peoples, the poor, and those pursuing a better world to maintain racial capitalism (a term acknowledging how capitalism developed as an inherently racialized system that uses differences between people (like skin color) to justify exploiting some people over others). The direct lineage between slave patrols and the police is a history that has been systematically ignored. 

The appointment of Ms. Reed has elevated the vision of a liberated world with systems of care ensuring all people are free and have their basic needs met. Where safety is secured through love, empathy, and solidarity instead of legality, enforcement, and surveillance. Her appointment will engage more people in cultural diversity and de-escalation training, restorative justice models, anti-racism, and trauma-informed care. In sticking to her values, she has legitimized other crucial work like mutual aid, political education, and direct democracy to build communities that provide for their own safety and well-being. 

The hate in response to the Olympia School Board’s decision is an important example of the way in which our system has succeeded in dividing people, in stripping them of their humanity. How it has instilled fear, competition and delusion to the point where they defend inhumane institutions over the wellbeing of their neighbors. As one student commented, “Many people have a hard time with change, and as it has been said, when you’re accustomed to privilege, equity feels like oppression.” The school board’s appointment is a significant step toward necessary change. The struggle for equity just got a boost in Olympia. 

~ Steven Marquardt, Olympia

Writer's opinions are their own and not necessarily those of The JOLT's staff or board of directors.  Got something to say about a topic of interest to Thurston County residents? Send us up to 1,000 words -- see the  Contribute your news button at the top of every page.