Does Systemic Racism Exist? Elmhurst Residents Disagree

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst residents again brought up racism and equity during a school board meeting.

During public comments Tuesday, resident Jennifer Lukas, who has two students at York High School, said her family moved to town in 2015. She said they previously lived in a diverse town in Wisconsin.

At first, Lukas said she wondered whether her children would learn about diversity if they were not exposed to it.

"We have been pleasantly surprised," Lukas said.

Lukas cited local support for LGBT residents, as indicated by signs and groups for children and adults. And she noted the Black Lives Matter rally in Wilder Park in 2020, with both adults and children showing energy.

She also said her children report lively discussions on controversial topics in their classes.

She said it was necessary to speak with students about race and privilege.

"It will help them become more thoughtful members of their community now and as they grow into adulthood," Lukas said.

She also questioned arguments from those who allege equity efforts are hurting students.

"Some parents have reported that since the initiation of these learning tools, children have experienced racism and segregation," Lukas said. "This is difficult to believe. But if this is the case, we need examples to address that."

Another resident, Ioana Fernandez, who has students at Jefferson Elementary and Bryan Middle schools, spoke out against criticism of teachers and certain books in District 205 schools. She noted she was born in Romania when it was a communist dictatorship, which restricted free speech.

Fernandez said she found it "extremely concerning" when the district's critics advocate for limiting the information given to students, as she said happened in autocratic Romania.

"Limiting books with access to diverse characters and experiences limits our kids' ability to understand the world as a whole," she said.

Another resident, Elizabeth Collins, agreed.

"The de facto banning of topics that are purportedly harmful to our national self-image would be a sign of authoritarianism," she told the board. "Instead, we should all seek to foster robust classroom conversations about structural inequalities. We must support teachers’ ability to teach truthful history."

The district's equity efforts have come to the forefront as resident Tom Chavez and others contend the district is teaching critical race theory. They say the theory promotes the concept of "white privilege."

At Tuesday's meeting, Chavez took issue with the idea that he and other members of the group he leads, Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, or EPIC, want to restrict access to certain ideas.

"Nobody associated with me or EPIC has called for book banning or book burning or preventing teachers from presenting the full scope of American history, including talking about difficult topics such as slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, racism and Jim Crow," Chavez said.

But he said his group opposes teaching children that the United States is an "oppressive regime that is still defined by systemic racism."

"In certain ideological circles and in District 205's curriculum, that is certainly a viewpoint that is being posed to children," Chavez said.

The school board did not respond to the comments, as is its practice.