On May 14, the fifth “Just Dinner” was hosted by the Tamalpais Union High School District Racial Justice Task Force, connecting parents, guardians, students and staff in meaningful conversation over dinner. The event was located at Dr. Martin Luther King Academy in Marin City and brought together a large, diverse group of district community members.
Just Dinners began this year, an event implemented by retiring superintendent Tara Taupier. Racial Justice Task Force member Mary Michael Pringle explained the event’s upbringing.

“We borrowed this concept [of Just Dinners] from Marin City. One of the churches here does something called ‘Come to the Table.’ They invite community members for a free, delicious, locally made, catered dinner and guided questions that are discussed across the tables. Afterwards, they have a presentation,” Pringle said.
Each person was assigned a table with one group leader prompting conversations. With 158 attendees, the room was filled. The event began with an introduction of the event by Taupier. She initiated a conversation for table groups, directing them to introduce themselves and share a few notable attributes.
Following the introduction, a student panel was brought up to share their experiences as part of minority groups in high school and were asked questions regarding their experiences on campus in the district’s schools.

After the panel closed, the students applauded and the dinner began. Dee’s Organic Catering brought food to the event and conversations flowed over the delicious food. Table group leaders invoked conversation between the tables, discussing the questions addressed by the panelists and additional questions regarding their personal experiences. Pringle brings up the motive behind the development of Just Dinners.
“[Just Dinners] were a direct request of the students: the student success team, made up of community members from Marin City, parents, students, and staff and the Black Student Union. They all had requests of the district for more representation on the campus, [Tamalpais High School] especially,” Pringle said.
As the event came to a close, all district Racial Justice Task Force members who were present gathered at the front of the room to honor Taupier’s retirement. One gift included a set of utensils as a symbol that she will always be welcomed at the Just Dinner table.

Pringle reflects on having Taupier work alongside her at the Just Dinner events.
“We had immediate responsiveness and decisiveness [with Taupier]. It was clear that [the dinner] was one of the most important things to her, especially with all the incidents that we’ve had lately in the last year or more, that were racial in nature and harmful to the students,” Pringle said.