Are Acronyms a Symptom of ‘White Supremacy Culture?’ SFUSD Makes Another Disputable Decision

First the San Francisco School Board decided to rename 44 schools because they are named after people with ties to racism or slavery. Now the Arts Department has taken a bold move by changing its name, “VAPA” because they say, “acronyms are a symptom of white supremacy culture.”

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The director of that department said, “We are prioritizing antiracist arts instruction in our work.” {snip}

From now on, they’ll simply be called SFUSD Arts Department.

“It is a very simple step we can take to just be referred to as the SFUSD Arts Department for families to better understand who we are,” explained Sam Bass, Director of the SFUSD Arts Department.

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In a letter, he explains that acronyms are a symptom of white supremacy culture.

“The use of so many acronyms within the educational field often tends to alienate those who may not speak English to understand the acronym,” he added.

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But the San Francisco Unified School District uses so many acronyms on a daily basis that if you go to their website there’s a section on how to find what their acronyms or abbreviations mean.

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