‘Trump is to blame for my anti-Asian tweets,’ says San Francisco school board member

Scores of users responded to Collins’ statement on Twitter, saying Trump did not provide a legitimate excuse for her remarks.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A San Francisco School Board member facing calls to resign over tweets disparaging Asian-Americans has a unique justification for her statements – former President Donald Trump.

San Francisco School Board vice president Alison Collins’ tweets disparaging Asian-Americans recently resurfaced, sparking backlash among parents in the heavily liberal district. Several parents launched a campaign demanding that she be removed from her position.

In a series of December 2016 tweets, Collins expressed frustration with the Asian-American community for not advocating on behalf of black causes. Asian-Americans “use white supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead,’” Collins charged.

“Being a house n— is still being a n—,” she wrote in a follow-up tweet. “You’re still ‘the help.’”

But rather than resign from her position, Collins, a self-described “Black woman, mother, educator and fierce advocate of equity,” released a statement on Medium about the tweets, which appears to place the responsibility for her social media posts on Trump.

Collins explained that her tweets were “taken out of context, both of that specific moment and the nuance of the conversation that took place.”

“President Donald Trump had just won an election fueled by division, racism and an anti-immigration agenda,” she wrote, suggesting that her anti-Asian racist tweets were influenced by Trump’s November 2016 election victory.

Later in her statement, she added, “Words have meaning and impact. Trump showed us that clearly with his sowing of hate and pitting communities of color against one another for political gain.”

She concluded by emphasizing that “Anti-Asian racism is not new, but the recent uptick in violence and bigotry against Asian-Americans is clearly connected to Trump and his racist tropes.”

It’s unclear how Trump’s allegedly hateful rhetoric justifies Collins’ remarks.

Scores of users responded to Collins’ statement on Twitter, saying Trump did not provide a legitimate excuse for her words.

“Is there any context in which these hurtful and divisive statements would be considered acceptable or appropriate?” asked one Twitter user. “Especially coming from a self proclaimed advocate and educator.

“Your credibility is shot and you can no longer effectively do the job you were elected to do.”