Accusation of racism lingers after heated Wichita school board debate on representation

Weeks of passionate debate about what representation means to Wichita school district voters have left some community activists and a board member stinging from perceived personal attacks and an accusation of racism.

The school board voted 4-3 to introduce a November ballot initiative that would have school board members elected by district rather than across the entire school district in the general election.

During several August meetings, district residents and school board members agreed it’s good for democracy to have an open dialogue about representation.

But those conversations also got personal at times. Weeks after a heated exchange, NAACP youth advisor LaWanda Deshazer says she’s still waiting on an apology from her District 1 school board member, Diane Albert, who characterized her comments before the board as racist.

Deshazer was making the case that citywide school board elections contribute to voter disenfranchisement by creating a scenario where voters in a specific district could be overruled by the rest of the city. Voters in northeast Wichita, home to many of the city’s historically Black neighborhoods, deserve to be represented by the candidate they favor, she said.

“By disenfranchising the vote, we take away the voice of the people to say, ‘We need better. We need more,’” Deshazer said on Aug. 8. “And when we have a representative over our district — no offense — but if you are not from our community and our district, you don’t always understand the needs that we have.”

Albert, who narrowly defeated incumbent Ben Blankley 50.9% to 49.1% among District 1 voters last fall, responded by saying, “that’s a very racist assumption.”

“I’ve read a number of things online and a few things have been brought up this evening that it is assumed that I do not understand District 1 and I don’t understand the needs of District 1,” Albert said. “Please do not let the color of my skin let you judge by that decision. I feel that’s a very racist assumption. I grew up at 13th and Oliver from birth to graduation. I’m very familiar with the needs of District 1.”

Deshazer and other community members have publicly asked Albert to apologize for levying the accusation of racism.

“It really hurt me to see my representative use a technique that is often used in abuse situations. To call those statements racist was gaslighting,” Wakeelah Martinez of the Wichita African American Council of Elders told the school board on Aug. 22.

“If you know psychology, you know gaslighting is used in abusive situations to shut you down. And for you not to respect the words of the people who have lived and taught and sacrificed in this community, it was an insult,” Martinez said.

Deshazer said Albert’s refusal to apologize for calling her critique of citywide school board voting racist shows that there’s a disconnect between her and some of her constituents.

“To use the word ‘racist’ was definitely out of line and out of character, and then when it’s explained to her that it’s offensive, she still dug her heels in the ground and would not retract that word,” Deshazer said. “That exemplifies to me that she cannot relate to part of her community that she is serving.”

Albert declined a phone interview with The Eagle but provided a written statement. She did not respond directly when asked if she stands by her assessment of Deshazer’s Aug. 8 comment as racist. In her statement, Albert characterized the episode as a distraction.

“Our district has serious challenges, and I will entertain conversations directed toward real solutions. I will not entertain personal attacks,” Albert said in an email.

“Please do not get distracted from the real issues. We need to focus on solutions, and the answers will come from listening to one another and having conversations focused on the needs of our students.”

Hazel Stabler, the Wichita school board’s only non-white member, supported Albert in an interview with The Eagle.

“I don’t think Diane owes her an apology,” said Stabler, who is Native American. “She did come at Diane at the board meeting, too, and I didn’t think that was appropriate.

“If the people of District 1 are concerned about having somebody of their own race represent them, then they need to get a qualified person to run that can win.”

District 1’s last Black school board representative was Betty Arnold, who now serves on the Kansas State Board of Education. Blankley defeated Arnold in 2017 across the full school district, even though Arnold outperformed him 64.3% to 35.8% among District 1 voters, exemplifying why critics of the current election system say district-specific voting would be more representative.

Deshazer said that although Blankley was not District 1’s first choice, he proved to be a dedicated advocate by immersing himself in the community and listening to everyone’s perspective.

“He’s a white guy and he was there. He was present,” Deshazer said. “He came to community functions. He listened to the members of his community, the district he was representing.”

Albert was elected alongside Stabler and Kathy Bond. All three were recruited by the Sedgwick County Republican Party and campaigned on opposition to critical race theory and mask mandates among other cultural issues.

After hosting a community listening session where the broad majority of attendees voiced their support for district-specific voting, Albert has maintained her stance that citywide voting is more representative.

USD 259, Kansas’ largest school district, is majority minority. Only about 31% of students are white, compared with 37% who are Hispanic and 19% who are Black, district data shows.

Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson said it’s vital to have conversations about representation without stooping to personal attacks. He said the way forward is not to pretend that our racial and cultural differences don’t exist.

“Instead of saying we don’t see color, we should see it and then we should embrace our differences,” Johnson said.

Those differences, he said, are what make life rich.

Johnson said the incident between Albert and Deshazer should serve as a learning opportunity.

“I think an apology is owed to LaWanda because the comment was taken personally by Ms. Albert when it was said, and as elected officials, we hear that stuff all the time but I think it’s our job to hear it, try to evaluate the validity of it and then have a dialogue there without taking it personal,” Johnson said.

This story was originally published September 5, 2022 at 11:05 AM.