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A South Orange County school board member’s use of the N-word at a recent public meeting – while supporting approval of a book about an enslaved man – has triggered concerns and debate across one of Orange County’s largest school districts.
James, the book discussed by board members, is a reimagining of Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who accompanies Huck Finn down the Mississippi River.
At their March 12 meeting, Capistrano Unified School Board Member Judy Bullockus spoke in support of teaching the book by Percival Everett to advanced 11th grade English students after it was recommended by the district’s Instructional Materials Review Committee.
“It just shows him, not as just some dumb n***** but a very smart, compassionate real person,” Bullockus said during the meeting, in reference to the main character’s growth throughout the novel.
In a Friday email statement, Bullockus apologized for using the word and said she never intended to hurt or offend anyone.
“I was trying to share in our discussion how awful the characterization is in contrast to the true character of James who possessed dignity, compassion, and love for family and people,” she wrote
“By verbalizing the degrading words, the perspective I was trying to express was completely lost. I should have been more eloquent in conveying my true appreciation for the novel,” she continued.
“I’m terribly sorry a good discussion ended on a very bad note based on my indiscretion.”
Her comments come at a time when groups like PEN America – a literary organization – are raising concerns about censorship and book bans in public schools and libraries across the country including novels about racism.
According to the organization, over 10,000 books were banned at public schools across the country in the 2023-24 school year.
Locally in Orange County, Huntington Beach officials have been grappling with which books should be available to kids at public libraries.
[Read: Surf City Continues Struggling Over the Future of Library]
Recently, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Surf City leaders for their restricted reading section in the library arguing that it violates state law and limits teenagers’ abilities to explore topics without their parent’s oversight.
Board Member Faces Backlash
Richard Hurt, an Aliso Viejo City Council member – a city served by the Capistrano Unified School District – watched the meeting on video, noting school board members “used the euphemism ‘N-word’ instead of the full term, with only one exception during the meeting.”
He added that books like James and Huckleberry Finn require understanding the power of language, which makes them a valuable teaching tool.
“That said, open and honest analysis does not grant anyone permission to casually use the ‘N-word’ in school hallways as a so-called term of endearment, as was discussed during the meeting,” said Hurt, who is Black. “That issue is far more concerning.”
It’s a word that one local teacher told board members from the public comment dais that students in Aliso Niguel High School use among themselves – a majority of the time without intended harm.
CUSD Board Member Gila Jones said she does not approve of the use of the N-word, adding that Bullockus did not use the word an as epithet, but in the context of a discussion about a book where the N-word is used often.
“I don’t say that word. I don’t think people should say it. I don’t approve of kids saying it to each other. I don’t approve of rap singers saying it,” she said in a Friday phone call. “It’s a bad word, but I also want to be very clear, it was in context.”
She also said that a resident used the full word in their public comments before Bullockus spoke.
Ryan Burris, a spokesman for the district, said the district is committed to supporting thoughtful and intellectual stimulating conversations about race.
“This is not a word that we would ever condone using, even in the context of the lengthy Board discussion about how teachers approach the use of racial epithets in the literature they are using in their advanced high school classrooms,” he wrote in a Friday email.
“What happened at the Board meeting does not meet the high expectations we want to model for our students, families, and staff.”
The rest of the school board members did not respond to emailed questions about the issue Friday.
Aliso Viejo Mayor Tiffany Ackley said now is a time to ensure schools are a place where all families feel respected and included.
“As a parent with children in this district and an elected official, I was really upset to hear the N-word used during the recent school board meeting,” she said in a Friday text message.
“Words like that carry a lot of pain and history, and they don’t belong in a space where we’re supposed to be focused on supporting our kids and community—unless they’re handled with extreme care and context.”
Sherine Smith, a former principal and teacher in the district who was at Wednesday’s meeting, said she was shocked by Bullockus’ use of the word and called it very inappropriate and dehumanizing.
“You could hear the air, the oxygen, go out of the room,” Smith said in a Friday interview. “I can only imagine how students of color feel, especially hearing that a board member who was elected to represent the community and look out for them use the word in such an egregious way.”
“It was unnecessary. She didn’t have to say it.”
Smith, who is also a former Laguna Beach Unified Superintendent, said in a follow up text message she was pleased to see the district condemn the use of the word and see Bullockus apologize.
She added that the board member’s use of the word shows why it’s important to teach books like James and ethnic studies classes.
“It’s really important for people to have a deeper understanding of why words like that are so dehumanizing and so pejorative,” Smith said.
Navigating Sensitive Material in Classrooms
At Wednesday’s board meeting, a host of parents and residents came out in support of the book, arguing that it will allow students to think critically about literature and history and prepare them for real-world conversations about race.
A couple of board members – including Bullockus and Jones – raised concerns about the book’s use of the N-word.
“I get why it’s inserted and all. In fact, I didn’t even pay attention to how many times it was in the first chapter,” Bullockus said. “It was a terrific book, but I would like to know how you would handle that book in terms of reading it aloud?”
Kelsey Torres, an AP English teacher in the district who requested approval for the book to be taught, said at the March 12 meeting that the district already teaches books with the N-word written by white authors, unlike James – which was written by a Black author.
“James is unique because it’s written by somebody who has had that word directed at him, and he also takes into account when people use these words meaning no harm at all,” Torres said.
“I think that that’s something that our students are doing, certainly at Aliso Niguel High School, kids throw the N-word around with their friends. I’ve heard it in hallways, in the classroom, and I would say 90% of the time, they’re not intending to harm.”
Torres added that teaching the book was an opportunity to challenge and change how students thought about language and using pejorative words before they end up hurting people.
Board members voted unanimously to approve the book – something Hurt, Ackley, Burris and others applauded.
Lisa Samerdyke, a parent whose daughter graduated from the district, said kids don’t really fully understand the meaning of the word and was shocked by the board member’s use of it.
She hopes teaching the book in a school setting with the proper guidance and context will keep kids from using it in the future.
“I think that could be very beneficial to our students, and they could learn the power of language in a setting where it’s fairly safe, and then as they get older, maybe they think about their words more as they go out into the world,” Samerdyke said in an interview.
Councilman Hurt said the use of the word by students was concerning.
Jones said it bothered her that students were using the word around school.
She also said parents should be informed in case they want to opt their child out of reading the book.
“If I said it to a student, I might not get out alive,” Jones said at the school board meeting. “I think parents need to know that in both Huck Finn and James, the N-word is used more than 200 times.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
Angelina Hicks is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
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