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When The Two-Way Racial Healing Project invited parents of students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to an event to discuss racism in Puyallup schools, local mom Dawn Land registered to attend.

After attending, Land told The Dori Monson Show on Wednesday, she felt the meeting was both 鈥渁larming鈥� and 鈥渟urreal.鈥�

Hosted at Puyallup鈥檚 Kalles Junior High, the Tuesday night event promoted the in-person gathering with a flyer that said attendees 鈥渕ust be a parent of Black/African/African American, Latin/Mexican, Arab/Middle Eastern, Asian, Native Hawaiian/American Pacific Islander, or First Persons/American Indian or Alaska Native child.鈥�

In other words, Dori told listeners, 鈥渋f you鈥檙e a parent of a white kid, you鈥檙e not allowed to attend.鈥�

Land – a white mom of three Black children who attend Puyallup schools 鈥� said both the invitation and the meeting clearly gave that vibe.

Initially, Land said, 鈥淚 was actually offended that it was such a segregated meeting right from the outset, but I did also want to hear if there really were racial issues in the school district. That was concerning to me because . . . I wanted to hear if there were incidents like that because I hadn鈥檛 heard of anything before.鈥�

At arrival, 鈥渢hey were checking at the door to make sure I was legitimately permitted to go in,鈥� the mom said.

Besides the 20 parent attendees, the Puyallup School District鈥檚 executive team was also invited; they participated via Zoom, Land said.

When the moderator greeted her at the door, Land said, the host 鈥渄id a double-take鈥� and asked if Land 鈥渉ad children that are BIPOC. She had to verify. I don鈥檛 think they could have legally said 鈥榩rove it鈥� because I think that鈥檚 illegal.

鈥淚t was surreal,鈥� she continued. 鈥淥nce the meeting started, they targeted me specifically to tell me to put my phone away. I did see others with their phones out. She didn鈥檛 say that to anyone else. It just so happens there were only three people who were white at the meeting. Two of them were with their spouse who was a person of color. I was the only one flying solo, so I was immediately suspicious.鈥�

Questions for the executive team started with 鈥渨hat the district is doing to remedy鈥� the shortage of BIPOC staff, Land described. The moderator also asked district leaders what they are doing to 鈥済et people of color to go to school board meetings.鈥� Land told Dori that she found that question odd because 鈥渢here aren鈥檛 that many people who attend a school board meeting to begin with.鈥�

The meeting took a harsher turn, according to the mom, when participants 鈥渂erated the executive team鈥� for attending the gathering remotely via Zoom, Land said. 鈥淭hey (hosts and some parents) said that was a place of `white privilege.鈥欌��

鈥淭his may be a private organization, but does it feel strange 鈥� in 2022 鈥� to have someone looking you up and down to see your skin color?鈥� Dori asked Land.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand why they鈥檙e being so divisive,鈥� Land responded. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge step backward. It鈥檚 detrimental to our society. The host of the meeting talked about how important intersectionality was, (but) we need to not be stuck in boxes. We need to come together as one.鈥�

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