United Teachers Los Angeles on Monday night rescinded its endorsement of school board candidate Kahllid Al-Alim in the wake of revelations that he reposted or “liked” social media posts with anti-Semitic content, favoring weapons or pornographic.
In a statement, the union said it “condemns all forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, anti-blackness, Islamophobia, xenophobia and homophobia. “
Al-Alim was contacted late Monday and said he would have no immediate comment but was expected to issue a statement on Tuesday.
The decision was made by the union's 250-member House of Representatives during an emergency meeting, a last-minute blow to Al-Alim's campaign to represent District 1, which includes much of South Los Angeles and the Southwest. of the Angels. The union had already suspended its campaigning on behalf of Al-Alim, but was required to follow a multi-step process, which lasted about two weeks, to officially withdraw its endorsement.
Revoking their support involved the union's large support team, its Educators Political Action Council, its Board of Directors and, finally, the House of Representatives.
“UTLA member leaders acted decisively when the information came to light,” the union stated.
While the union worked through this process, Al-Alim continued to be promoted in online union endorsements and in some materials distributed to voters in the final days of the campaign. The teachers union has spent more than $690,000 on an independent campaign on his behalf, according to records filed with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission.
Al-Alim issued a series of increasingly detailed apologies.
“There is a long history of collaboration and conflict between the black and Jewish communities that we must learn from in order to respect each other and continue to create a more just world together,” he said in one of them.
Then, at a campaign forum last week, he took a slightly different position, saying, “I'm not ashamed of anything.”
The union's statement seemed to offer some appreciation for Al-Alim's apology: “As educators, we recognize that people can learn and evolve through courageous conversations. Therefore, we see this situation as a valuable learning opportunity not only for UTLA, but also for the community at large. “We look forward to engaging the diverse communities that make up Los Angeles.”
Al-Alim emerged with the support of UTLA after a months-long process. He was already well known to many union leaders as an energetic educational and community activist who could be relied on to side with the union on policy issues, including opposing the expansion of charter schools and favoring the elimination of school police. .
Six other candidates are also vying for the seat, which will be vacated by George McKenna, who is retiring.
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor also suspended campaign activities on Al-Alim's behalf. The labor federation had reported that it had spent no funds on his behalf, but its action (on behalf of the county union movement) is symbolically notable.
One post by Al-Alim on ”. In an October 2022 post, Al-Alim said the book should be required reading in Los Angeles schools: “We don't burn or ban our future! We don’t play,” he wrote.
He had also liked posts of support for basketball star Kyrie Irving and rapper Kanye West when they were criticized for anti-Semitic posts or comments.
After weeks of union-funded campaigning and with voting underway since February 24, Al-Alim could reach the second round. His own campaign had raised $31,736 as of the last reporting period.
Other candidates in the race are:
- Sherlett Hendy Newbill, Dorsey High teacher, dean, department head and coach. UTLA endorsed her in a last election and she has the backing of McKenna, the retiring incumbent.
- Christian Flagg, a homeschooling parent who leads advocacy training at Community Coalition, a South Los Angeles nonprofit. His political views, such as eliminating school police, closely align with those of UTLA.
- DeWayne Davis, former Los Angeles Unified teacher and principal who held senior administrative positions in school districts in other school systems.
- Didi Watts, chief of staff to Los Angeles school board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, and educator with leadership positions in traditional, charter, and private schools.
- John Aaron Brasfield, special education assistant and long-time athletic trainer.
- Rina Tambor, a tutor and former teacher who ran sleepaway camps in the Northeast.
Outside of UTLA, the next largest independent funding effort has been $520,493 on behalf of Watts, with core funding from two Sacramento-based political action committees, both called Kids First, and a third independent charter school PAC.
