Just Dinner brings the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) community together to deepen the racial understanding of community members. The “Just Dinner” event was hosted by the TUHSD, and brought together parents, teachers and community members for a night of discussion and connection, as well as opening the conversation about race, belonging and equity.
Dr. Courtney Goode, superintendent of schools, explained that the goal was to strengthen understandings across diverse backgrounds and deepen the district’s ongoing racial justice work.
“Each one of these events is about helping build a stronger, more compassionate, and understanding community that works to support and uplift one another,” said Goode.
Throughout the evening, the attendees participated in structured activities designed to push them outside of their comfort zones. A key activity had attendees switch seats and sit with people they didn’t know.
This intentional exercise meant to reflect how students of color feel at school when placed in unfamiliar or even isolating environments, which they often feel when at school.
Cathy Flores, principal of San Andreas High School and senior director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging spoke about the purpose of the evening.
“The goal of tonight’s vet dinner is to elevate the racial consciousness in adult learning experiences of parents, families and caregivers. We aim to foster cultural competency and create communities where students of color and all students feel that they belong,” Flores said.
Freshman Ian Claire attended so he could learn more about racism and found the seat switching exercise to be eye opening.
“It really gave me a perspective that I’ve never seen before,” Claire said.
Claire sat with two Archie Williams parents and an older community
member. This mix of ages and experiences reflected the event’s goal of bringing together a wide range of voices.
The dinner was centered around open conversations, where participants were encouraged to share personal experiences. Some attendees spoke about societal norms and what they have been taught. Others, including people of color from diverse backgrounds such as Mexican and Brazilian communities, shared personal stories and perspectives, creating space for vulnerability and understanding.
Claire said these discussions highlighted ongoing issues within the district and expressed his concerns for the lack of action being taken.
“We were talking about how, especially in the Tam District, there’s a ton of racism going on,” Claire said. “I’ve seen it happening at school, and notice no one around does anything about it.”
The dinner is connected to TUHSD’s broader equity efforts to create change.
Archie Williams’ parent, Robin Beers, valued the cross-school connections.
“There are very few events where I get to meet Redwood or Tam parents,” said Beers. “This event creates more belonging and connection district-wide.”
Dr. Goode acknowledged that while change has been slow, real progress is still being made.
“In small pockets, it has fostered opportunities to better understand one another. There is value in that,” Goode said.
After the event, Goode recapped the impact of his talks with his group.
“It’s in those conversations that we really wrestle with how to carry this forward,” Goode said.
Claire also saw room for events like this to grow.
“If they made it more mainstream, it could help inform more people,” Claire said.
