Journalist Jeremy Adam Smith is making the rounds, speaking publicly about diversity and segregation in San Francisco, a topic he recently covered regarding local public schools for the San Francisco Public Press.
In an op-ed published March 18 in the San Francisco Chronicle, Smith said that the city previously known for its “diversity, innovation and fairness” now is “facing a profound identity crisis” marked by racial and income inequities.
On Monday, March 23, Smith will discuss these issues and the Public Press report on KALW’s “Your Call” at 10 a.m. with host Rose Aguilar and other guests.
For the op-ed, Smith drew evidence from a variety of sources, including the San Francisco Police officers currently under investigation for racist text messages, and noted the disproportionately high percentage of African Americans killed by the city’s police department. He also cited increasing racial segregation in the city’s public schools — the topic of our winter 2015 special report, for which he was the lead reporter.
“6 in 10 schools now have majorities of one racial group. But it gets worse,” Smith wrote in his op-ed. “Though San Francisco is now one of the most affluent cities in the United States, most of its public school students are poor — and almost all those poor children are Asian, Latino or black.”
Jeremy Adam Smith prepares for an interview at KALW’s studios in 2014. // Public Press
