Foster City Officials to Undergo Bias Training After Posts About ‘White Women’s Tears’
After a contentious Foster City City Council meeting drew dozens of residents on Monday, officials voted 3-2 to find that a colleague’s social media posts violated the city’s code of conduct and to require bias training for the full council.
The meeting addressed controversy surrounding posts Councilmember Phoebe Shin Venkat shared in August. Among them was a 2018 opinion piece from The Guardian titled: “How white women use strategic tears to silence women of colour.”
Some residents described the posts as offensive and divisive. Others supported Shin Venkat, who defended her decision to share them and said she would continue speaking about systemic racism.
“I am not going to stop talking about systemic racism and other things that impact our community, because whether you think it impacts or not — it absolutely does,” Shin Venkat said.
Following complaints from residents about Shin Venkat’s posts, Councilmember Stacy Jimenez called for the special meeting to consider whether to take disciplinary action.
Members stopped short of censuring Shin Venkat. Instead, they approved a single motion finding that she had violated the code and requiring bias training for all council members.
Shin Venkat was one of two members who voted against the motion. She told KQED she values anti-bias education but opposed tying it to a finding that she had done something wrong.
“I could not myself vote for a measure that weaponizes anti-bias training to validate a false finding of an ethics violation,” she said.
Shin Venkat said that education should be part of a sustained commitment to equity. She also called for more opportunities for council members to get to know one another and build mutual respect.
Foster City resident Kandy O’Mara said that Shin Venkat’s posts violated the city’s code of conduct. The policy applies to officials’ social media accounts and says posts should not include offensive comments that disparage or discriminate based on characteristics including race and sex.
“That includes white women,” O’Mara said.
Foster City resident Christa Waldrop defended Shin Venkat’s decision to share the article.
“The irony of trying to silence someone for sharing an article about how the voices of women of color are often silenced, especially under the guise of victimhood, is not lost on me,” Waldrop said.
Despite disagreeing with the outcome, Shin Venkat said she appreciated residents participating, including those who opposed her posts.
“I am not surprised that we all don’t agree,” she said, describing systemic racism as a difficult subject to discuss. “I’m grateful that this [conversation] is now further along.”