Sage Creek High School 10th graders will attend two assemblies on the history and harm of hate speech Wednesday, Sept. 30, led by educator Don Dumas.

Dumas will walk students through the historical experience of African Americans, focusing on the origins of the n-word, how its use has evolved and why it still harms Black students and others, according to a letter to 10th-grade families from Principal Josh Way. The letter described the event as part of Carlsbad Unified School District's commitment to keeping campuses inclusive.

Students will be split into two groups in the Performing Arts Center. One group attends during second period, the other during third. Teachers will tell students which session is theirs.

Dumas has taught social science at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista, according to a 2020 California Teachers Association profile. In 2019, he was named one of five San Diego County Teachers of the Year, chosen from 42 nominees representing roughly 22,000 public school teachers, as The Star News reported. He also serves as a trustee of the Southwestern Community College District, a position he has held since December 2020.

"That's kind of been my mission, to teach students self empowerment and all the things that they can do to improve their own lives and the lives of the people around them in the greater society in which they belong," Dumas told The Star News in September 2019, after receiving the county honor.

Dumas grew up in Imperial Beach as the biracial child of a Black father and white mother. He has said he struggled in school, spent time in juvenile hall and was not on a college track before enrolling in community college, transferring to San Diego State University and becoming a history teacher. The CTA described his approach as teaching "through a social justice lens."

Way's letter also referenced assemblies for seventh graders in the district, though it did not specify which middle school or schools would host those sessions or when they would take place.