In 2019, the leadership of the Howard County Public School System engaged in planning for redistricting, and I was directly involved in that effort and publicly expressed support for equity-based decisions. Some of my White neighbors — people who share many of my progressive ideals — were opposed to the HCPSS proposals for redistricting and argued that their children were going to be heartbroken if the plan was approved. On social media, when I bemoaned some of the awful, racist rhetoric that was being used by opponents to the redistricting plan, and voiced the opinion that underserved and marginalized students needed to be our priority, one of these neighbors was outraged and expressed hurt feelings at the suggestion that she is racist.
