THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2025
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A Short-Sighted Syllabus
by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
The San Francisco Unified School District, right on the heels of the “Grading for Equity” fracas first reported by The Voice May 27, has apparentkly stepped in it again.
Both the Chronicle and the Standard have spotlighted a new controversy over the district’s new Ethnic Studies curricula, parts of which will be required for incoming high school students. Both stories zeroed in on one lesson plan, which asks students to profile “a social movement that has pushed for change and justice,” and lists the “Chinese Red Guards” as a choice for a profile.
Neither article specifies whether the lesson plan means the state terror organ made famous during China’s Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong, or the Chinatown activist group active during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, which was based on the Black Panthers, but unfortunately named after the aforementioned state terror organ.
The Chinatown Red Guards, led by local activist Alex Hing, raised the red flag of the Maoist regime in Portsmouth Square in 1969 and were known for their brawling and nanzi quigai image. (Hing once said “We are Asians, and as such, identify ourselves with the baddest motherf*****s alive.”). The posturing led Frank Chin, the activist and playwright, to refer to the group as performative “yellow minstrels,” and Hing reportedly punching him out in response one night at the Jackson Cafe.
It may be worth finding out which group the designer of the lesson plan was referring to. It might provide a clue to whether SFUSD’s bureaucrats are indeed deranged or merely deluded.
And don’t miss our upcoming Sunday Brunch Space on X/Twitter with our education and legal watchdog John Trasviña as we talk about all this and more!
Check out links to our latest content below, or just bookmark our homepage to see the latest.
Top News
HOMELESSNESS
Are tiny houses the answer for shelters? And where do you put them?
Part 1 of an interview with Elizabeth Funk of DignityMoves about their Interim Supportive Housing plan, and Mayor Daniel Lurie’s challenge to alleviate unsheltered homelessness.
by Mike Ege
Elizabeth Funk is the CEO of DignityMoves, a nonprofit organization she founded in 2020 to apply the high-technology startup model to addressing homelessness. DignityMoves is currently promoting an open-source playbook around their Interim Supportive Housing (ISH) model. Based on modular construction in underutilized sites, DignityMoves manages or is building ISH sites in San Jose, Santa Barbara, Alameda, San Bernardino, Thousand Oaks, and Rohnert Park, in addition to 33 Gough Street in San Francisco.
ASIAN VOICES
Asian American pride and ownership in Outer Richmond
Goemon isn’t just another restaurant — it’s a statement. A fully Asian-owned, built-from-scratch space designed for joy, community, and cultural permanence.
by Forrest Liu
LAW AND ORDER
San Francisco Court Watch: Courts evade scrutiny, fueling the blame game
Everyone can agree that San Francisco courts are excessively overwhelmed with a backlog of cases, but is this really due to a rise in criminal case filings on an annual basis?
by Liz Le
Quote of the week
“I have yet to meet anyone who prefers a cement pillow. They may prefer it to what they’re being offered if it’s a bunk bed in a big warehouse with strangers. I’m not sure I’d go either. We just need to rethink what we’re offering.”
—Elizabeth Funk of DignityMoves on the need to redesign interim housing as a solution to homelessness
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
EDUCATION
Ethnic studies course is a disaster in the making in SFUSD
Why is a district in financial crisis spending millions on a course not required for graduation nor for entrance into California’s higher education system?
TRANSIT
Bay Area transit bill advances in state legislature
After 12 beautiful Bill heads to state Assembly as the SFMTA faces losing funding under governor’s proposed budget.
by Jerold Chinn
EDUCATION
Grading for Equity is neither grading nor equitable
Its misleading portraits of student learning jeopardize teens’ preparedness to launch into college and career readiness.
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EVENTS
Out and about June 5 through June 11, 2025
What to do this weekend and beyond.
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
I hope everyone has had a good week, and we’re all always looking toward the end of any week so we can get out and about and enjoy what our city has to offer. Read on for my picks.
Thursday, June 5
It’s first Thursday so time for Downtown Hoedown at the Front Street Entertainment Zone. Don your cowboy boots and have fun with line dancing, live bluegrass and country music, a mechanical bull, and more. Free; RSVP here for a discount on a specialty cocktail.
Friday, June 6
Opera Parallèle’s new adaptation of their acclaimed opera Harvey Milk Reimagined is now playing. The opera follows Milk’s like from a New York Jewish boy during World War I to the martyred, outspoken community human and civil rights leader. Through Saturday. Tickets from $50.liday lights. Through Saturday. Tickets from $49.
Listen to our podcasts
- Ethical questions involving private contributions in San Francisco
- Harvey Milk and the continuing struggle
- The debate over Ethnic Studies is growing in S.F. and beyond
- Agree or disagree, Daniel Lurie is presenting an agenda which must be debated and discussed!
- Plus more (and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible or everywhere else you get your favorite podcasts)
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