Two weeks after being appointed to the Olympia School Board [in October 2022], I attended the Washington State School Directors' Association WSSDA Conference in Spokane, WA. I was nervous, because I was brand new and I was going to be speaking with my colleagues for the first since my appointment. I traveled with my partner. After attending workshops all day, the Directors met with Superintendent Patrick Murphy for dinner at an Italian Restaurant. Director Clifthorne did not make the trip due to Covid.
Myself, Directors Hilary Seidel and Darcy Huffman met Superintendent Murphy on-time for dinner. Director Maria Flores joined us late. Dinner was nice, Director Flores and Superintendent Murphy shared a chocolate cake dessert. After dinner all four Directors walked back to the hotel together and waited in the lobby for a seat to open in the lounge. While waiting there was an awkward silence, so I started our conversation. I asked my colleagues, “What is the board going to do about the racist folks who have been showing up to the school board meeting, who are being disruptive and making myself and students reps uncomfortable.” I clarified by saying, “I am not talking about folks with legitimate concerns about my appointment.” I explained that I had received hate messages through social media.
Seidel and Flores both agreed that some of the people contacting board members were in fact being racist. I suggested that the board write a statement and address the concerns, specifically around my background and their decision to appoint me. I expressed that maybe folks would get answers and thought that it would minimize the number of commenters.
Darcy Huffman chimed in and said, “You know where I am from we used the word, “N*&^^r and we knew it was wrong, but we didn’t go around harassing people. These people are racist, and that's fine, people are going to be themselves no matter what. We can't stop them from commenting, they just need to get over our decision.”
Seidel said, “I don’t think we can use that word”. Flores turned beet red (and said nothing). I said, “she just did.”
I responded to Darcy by saying, “I am not saying that people should not be allowed to make public comments, I am saying, people should not be allowed to harm others, especially when they are being racist.”
I stepped away to call my partner. I could not believe that the word fell so freely out of her mouth, and I told him what just happened. Seats opened up in the bar and I rejoined them. Huffman ordered scotch, Seidel ordered wine and Maria and I ordered rum and Coke (if I am not mistaken).
After we returned I tried to address this several times with my board members and clearly was not successful.I never got a response to emails. I even spoke with Hilary and Scott over the phone about it and told them Darcy was problematic. Scott agreed and said that she was the only board member that had not done any antiracist work.
Since Darcy was the newly appointed president, she invited me for coffee at the Left Bank to go over a few things with me. It wasn’t a long meeting but here is what she told me.
I said, “Isn’t that the point, we should have a paper trail?”
She said, we call each other if we have something important to talk about
She asked if I had any questions and invited me to call her anytime.
I went public because I was tired of being ignored and tired of hearing the board talk about diversity, equity and inclusion, when they clearly did not prioritize doing the work AND because it is never okay to use that word.
In The Olympian on July 31, 2023, their story was that Maria wasn't there, and Hilary and Darcy both told The Olympian that Darcy did use the word but that she was reading an email that Darcy received about me. Both things were simply not true. Flores was there and Darcy was not reading an email.
I asked Darcy to provide me with the email. She told me that she no longer had it and directed me to make a public records request, because IT could retrieve it. Although I knew Darcy was not telling the truth, I made the records request. It took months for me to get a response from Diana Crawford. "No such record exists.”
In order to make a sincere apology, a person has to be entirely honest about the situation. That is not the case. The recent article in The JOLT is a clear example of how dishonest the entire board has been around this issue. Now, their story is that I overheard a conversation between her and Hilary, where Darcy was repeating something someone else was saying. Darcy Huffman and Hilary Seidel have both lied to the public and have shed even more light on their racist character. My question is why is Hilary so comfortable hearing the N word, so much that she was willing to tell different stories to different reporters? Neither of them should be making decisions for the district.
Their dishonesty to the public and me is so disrespectful and neither of them should be in their roles as public officials. They have been entrusted to make decisions in the best interest of all students and are incapable of doing that.
The Olympia School District has data that goes back years, showing that Black, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous students are not being adequately served academically and are disproportionately disciplined for offenses less egregious than white students....and the two people on the board that take the lead have proven themselves to be dishonest and racist. Our students of color need better representation within the district leadership.
When I confronted Darcy at the school board meeting, she embarrassed herself. She apologized to Hilary and her friends and did not even look at me. She has never apologized to me and more importantly to the students we all took an oath to serve. If Darcy and Hilary had any integrity they would both tell the truth and stop justifying their unethical behavior. There will be links to everything I am saying in this statement and proof that they are both not telling the truth.
The recent article about their discussion during the retreat, further exemplifies their inability to take accountability for things. Darcy is as sincere with her apology as was Rachel Gun Australia's best break dancer, She isn’t at all. Who has she been tirelessly apologizing too? And why hasn’t anyone redirected her to face those that her racial slur impacts? Darch Huffman, Hilary Seidel, Scott Clifthorne Maria Flores all refused to reply to emails I sent them during my time on the board. Their complacency and desire to protect their white colleague by lying is unacceptable. When they campaigned and spent thousands of dollars to get votes, they all presented their best versions of themselves to the community and since have not served with the level of integrity, voters deserve. Students have been relying on them to make decisions in their best interest and we have all expected basic things from them. Transparency, fiduciary responsibility, communication, and accountability are all things they all promised voters.
They have caused me harm, and I am working on holding them accountable, but the harm our students have experienced is far greater, and it isn’t right. While I appreciate Director Tortellette-Palumbo bringing this up at the board meeting, this is something that should be discussed openly with the public and not behind closed doors, As public officials, they have a duty to be accountable and address the public.
In my opinion, the conversation was performative and for them. Not only should I have been invited into the discussion, but they have done everything in their power to exclude me from conversations and have had infinite opportunities to be honest and apologize.
You can not have conversations about harm caused and the impacts that harm has had on communities or people without ever being in relationship with or speaking to them. What is worse, is that they know better and still continue doing things their way. The day the school board invites the people most impacted by their decisions to the table, to help guide them in their decision-making, is the day they will begin to restore my trust.
Instead, they have forced the community to show up week after week, unwelcome, and unwilling to make changes. They have forced parents to file lawsuits just so their legitimate feedback could be heard.
I want to thank the students and community for continuing to show up and advocate for a quality education our kids deserve. I will continue to serve my community and I just want people to keep fighting and standing up for one another. Thank you all for allowing me to serve you and I look forward to the day that there is true acceptance for all.
~ Talauna Reed, Olympia
The opinions expressed above are those of the writer 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 it to us and we’ll most likely publish it. See the Contribute your news button at the top of every page.
11 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
RondaLarsonKramer
I very much appreciated reading your opinion piece, Ms. Reed. Ms. Huffman's statement to the Olympian is shocking and revealing, now that we have the fuller picture.
Thursday, August 22 Report this
Snevets
Ms. Reed, I too thank you for your opinion piece and am grateful for your hard work on behalf of our students and community.
What I take away from this is... That word was used, it was heard and you can't unring the bell. There is no place for it EVER. You deserved/deserve an apology. How are people & their children of color supposed to move forward when the people that use the word make excuses & haven't moved forward.
Thursday, August 22 Report this
Southsoundguy
If you are scared and hurt by a word, you have problems.
Thursday, August 22 Report this
JasonS
Southsoundguy, you've missed the point, which is the fact that Olympia School Board members allegedly LIED to the press and the public about what was said. If that is true, they should be called out and held accountable because integrity matters.
Thursday, August 22 Report this
HappyOlympian
This is a horrible piece - grammar atrocious and overall it flows horribly. What qualifications justified Talauna to being appointed to a school board?
Thursday, August 22 Report this
EastsideReader
"Happy" Olympian, what an ignorant comment. It shows that you don't know anything about her if you're asking what her qualifications are and trying to pick apart her grammar. But you're somehow are OK with another director using the N word. Why aren't you asking about Darcy Huffman's qualifications?
Friday, August 23 Report this
Chappellg
Happy Olympian and Southsoundguy certainly did miss the point of Ms. Reed’s complaints and concerns. Obviously Southsoundguy has never been victimized by words that demean his race, sexual orientation, religion or anything else he identifies with or values. Calling me names because of my politics doesn’t carry any of the weight of calling me by an ethnic slur that has reinforced discrimination for centuries. And whether Ms. Reed was qualified for her appointment or writes in a way a way that HappyOlympian approves of has nothing to do with racist comments about her or her community, much less anything to do with the lies (if true) told by her white former colleagues.
Thank you, Ms. Reid, for bringing these disastrous conversations to light.
Friday, August 23 Report this
DeepFriedOly
I appreciate finally getting insight into what occured. It saddens me that Former Director Reed was subjected to this especially during an orientation training. I hope that Director Huffman takes it up on herself to make amends, although after allowing a year and a half go by without an apology to the person she harmed, I don't know how that is even possible. I sat through many, many school board meetings, I can say that Director Reed was always honest, asked tough questions and seemed to really care about families in our district.
Friday, August 23 Report this
RondaLarsonKramer
For those concerned with what they read in this reader opinion, I suggest you also click on the link in FrankBooth's comment and start listening at 01:18:48, to hear the comments of Director Maria Flores at the August 22, 2024, school board meeting.
Sunday, August 25 Report this
DStusser
We have removed two comments because they contained claims about Reed we believed to be untrue and libelous.
Here is the link mentioned by Ronda Larson Kramer:
https://osd111.zoom.us/rec/play/TUto6FXaCq_wswTQUDeOavLv-YIkqDJuG8ioIkxwoR7ZA0cvvjXjsnxLFQ9w650dHEsKFc8KGqqNApJ3.lU3HVEOXONln60su?canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fosd111.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FG0WHtAyvrK0ZnuitbqYdt32dsyLWlRMJQsCpYMt14aNy1w6uhqc1nuXKCEtDrPD0.7WeKaIx_3iM4bU22&fbclid=IwY2xjawE2PS9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZhEAEKJpGUxsghKGCKSm1pP1FyUA8UUfxrt3byrJWbKU3AJac1jiZVCQQ_aem_mwfvlSGfFF0ZDDq1LRBk2Q
Sunday, August 25 Report this
GeorgeBurazer
Thank you Ms. Reed for showing the community what authentic
transparency should look like. With it the truth rings out.
Friday, August 30 Report this