Happy Pride Month in SFUSD!

Scheduled to be published in Chinese in the Sing Tao Daily on Sunday, April 13. 

By Dr. Maria Su

While San Francisco lights up in June with Pride events, our schools get a head start. Every April for over 30 years we have joyfully celebrated SFUSD Pride month. This year’s theme is: We Are the Change!

At SFUSD we recognize that diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice. Our Rainbow Community includes students, staff, caregivers, and countless people across our vibrant city of San Francisco. Our collective stories and strengths are what allow us to be resilient. Helping our students learn how to have meaningful conversations, informed by our differences, but rooted in mutual respect is what has allowed our district to produce industry leaders, community activists, revolutionary thinkers, and compassionate caregivers.  

Both California state law and SFUSD’s Administrative Regulations are clear that our public schools must be a place for everyone. Being called by the name that speaks to who you are is a right all of us deserve. Being able to access spaces that reflect your truth empowers each of us to go further and farther. The simple experience of seeing diverse families reflected in the pages of the books on your classroom shelves helps everyone recognize their and others’ right to live, love, and thrive.  

Towards this end, I am excited to announce that this year’s Superintendent’s Read Aloud will be Door By Boor: How Sarah McBride Became America’s First Openly Transgender Senator by Meeg Pincus. We are also honored that the Director of the San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, Honey Mahogany, will share her own journey to public service with our secondary students.

This April, and every other day, we are honored to be entrusted with helping your students learn about the world around them and giving them the tools they need to be the next generation of changemakers. 

Dr. Maria Su is Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.