Thread by @midbeaconhill

Tonight at the Seattle School Board meeting, Director Michele Sarju spoke about the “racist dog whistle choir” she has had to contend with since @viviansong’s resignation. tiktok.com/@midbeaconhill…

Here are her comments in their entirety:

Today the comments I am going to make will likely not sit well with some.

They will likely make some people feel uncomfortable. The truth does that sometimes. And in Seattle we sure love our comfort.

If you find yourself asking yourself, is she referring to me, that's not the question. The question is: Why do you think I might be referring to you?

In most situations I wouldn't normally respond to these types of situations because it's not worth my time.

However, I will never roll over and play dead in instances such as this, Seattle's version of a racist dog whistle I have witnessed happen to another colleague, twice.

I knew my time would eventually come; however, I never imagined that I would be responding to a choir of dog whistlers. This is the metaphor I will use in my comments.

I ask the media: If you're going to quote me to please not take my words out of context. The totality of what I will say is important.

Last year, in late fall, I had several private and intimate conversatons with Choir Director No. 1. I will not go into the intimate details of those conversations.

However, I shared on several occasions my concern about how this residency situation would lead to controversy and would affect them and their children. I strongly encouraged them to prioritize their children.

I shared with them that they had an opportunity to control the narrative and make a decision that would prevent them from being in this exact situation they're in now.

That is not bullying. It is asking people to be accountable.

The racist dog whistle of accusing a Black woman of being a bully because she suggested you do the right thing is not beinig a bully. It is asking you to do the right thing.

However, what is bullying is the racist dog whistle. What is bullying is a racist dog whistle choir. That is bullying in one of its highest forms and represents in this case adults who have a difficult time with truth and accountability.

To answer an email I received, I'm not happy, I'm disgusted. Racist dog whistles are mean and nasty.

I'm not a politician. I'm not running for City Council, County Council, or Frank Chopp's job.

Let me repeat myself. I am not running for City Council, County Council, or Frank Chopp's job.

To those who have said "I will make sure she doesn't get our endorsement again," for me, this role is not about endorsements. It's about children of this district.

There is a song from the movie Frozen called Let It Go. My hope is that this racist dog whistle choir can let it go. And particularly, stop recruiting students into this choir.

Accept accountability for both the decisions made and the ones not made.

To quote someone famous (this is your homework): The task is not done, the journey is not complete. We can and we must do more. End quote.

Let us move on, in solidarity, that we tackle the pressing problems before us that threaten the high quality education we want in this district for our students. Our students deserve it.

Those are the end of my comments. And I need to ask the staff, I need an escort out of here tonight.

Because when a person, particularly a Black woman in this city, is bold enough to stand up and call racists racists, and racist dog whistlers, dog whistlers -- the dogs come out. And they come out hard.

I don't want to be harassed, I don't want to be questioned. I want to be respected for the job that I chose to take as a volunteer to serve the children of this district. That's why I ran.

And if you don't like it, run yourself. Do it. But you know what, leave me alone. Leave me alone. I'm trying to serve to the best of my ability. I'm a public servant twice. That's what I want to do in this district.

And I'm not an angry Black woman. Don't do that dog whistle.

(Director Sarju’s comments start at 3:45:12 here)