I saw some former students surprised that an Eastside teacher supports Trump, and I get it. Why would you work at a school full of immigrants during the day and then post "Build the wall" stuff when you get home?

It makes no sense to me either, but it's not rare. At all.

When DACA was repealed, I tried to get other teachers to sign a request for our local representative to support legal protection for dreamers.

I was reported to the principal.

And it's not just anti-immigrant views. It's anti-Black views too. I remember one EHS teacher telling me the week before school that she was trying to get rid of one of her class periods.

"I looked on PowerSchool. There were too many Black kids. I know it's going to be trouble."

Another EHS teacher went to a local event we run for foster kids. I was dressed like a doctor and was supposed to teach kids good health habits, like insurance or whatever.

"Good," he said, leaning in for a whisper. "Maybe you can teach the Black kids to wash their hair."

I remember one time we had a school-wide training about recognizing gang activity on campus. It was led by the local sheriff and our security team.

We were told that it was acceptable to call security if we ever saw Black youth in groups of three or more wearing baggy pants.

These incidents of racism are infuriating and unacceptable, but they are not rare.

They're commonplace. Not just at EHS or in the Antelope Valley, but across the country.

And they're the reason we must constantly push for progress.

If you're a former EHS student, I want you to know that you deserved better, that you deserved a school where every single teacher believed in your dignity and worth by default.

We've got some great teachers at EHS. We've got even more amazing students.

But we must do better.