Racial Justice and Equity Advocate for MDUSD School Board

FPPC# 1428922

Contributions can be mailed to:

Friends of Keisha Nzewi for School Board 2020

P.O. Box 2370, Pleasant Hill, CA  94523

My name is Keisha Nzewi and I am now an official candidate for MDUSD Area 3! I am the Public Policy Director for the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, the parent of a Valley View Middle School 7th grader, and am a member of Racial Equity for MDUSD.

We moved to this school district 2 years ago. My daughter attended a district school for 5th grade, and Valley View for 6th grade. One day in the spring of her 5th grade year, I came home and she immediately told me she was called the n word during class by a classmate. Besides being livid that this had happened, I was also livid that the first I was hearing about it was directly from her. So I went to the school first thing the next morning and spoke to the vice principal to find out what was being done. Long story short, the other student spent a day in a kindergarten class. As a parent, that was unacceptable to me, but at the time, I felt there wasn’t much else I could do.  

Then in June, a friend posted on Facebook, “it sure would be nice if we could get a person of color to run for school board”. I knew because of my family’s experience, and I’ve only shared the most painful example, I had a choice to make. Continue as usual, or do something about it. Combine my experience, with a global pandemic and a racial reckoning..with more and more Black people and others over the last few months, in every industry, having the courage to speak directly without apology to the racism they experience in their lives, it became clear I’m not alone in my feelings, so I know now is the time to run.

I am a passionate advocate against racism. I believe "diversity and inclusion" is as useless a catchphrase as "thoughts and prayers". I have an unwavering commitment to bringing anti-racist values into every corner of the school district's responsibilities by dismantling individual, institutional and structural racism that exists within the district. From communications, administration, to curriculum, instruction and training, I would work towards the elimination of racial inequities in our educational community.

I will bring impatience to the board, refusing to accept process over progress. I will drive to make changes necessary to ensure the full identity of every student, family, teacher and staff of the district is honored, respected and uplifted. I am committed to listening, and understanding, working in collaboration with fellow board members, and all of our community’s stakeholders. I am also committed to thinking about issues and finding solutions, without being constrained by the way things are or have always been.

At the start of 2020, none of us could have imagined being in the midst of a global pandemic or a racial reckoning. But here we are...I know I am the right person to join the school board to do the hard work of leading us into a future that we all want for our children.