CULVER CITY, Calif. — Not only is he one of Culver City’s new School Board members the youngest elected in Los Angeles County history, but Triston Ezidore is also the first Black male to serve on this board.
But he says he didn’t enter this race to make history.
Walking along the campus at the school where it all started, Ezidore says Culver City High is where he was first elected into office as senior class president — but if you told him just two years later he’d become the youngest elected public official in the history of LA County?
“I would have told you you were crazy,” he said with a laugh.
Ezidore still keeps the newspaper from his senior year nearby. As class president, the LA Times interviewed him about the work that went into hosting a community pop up prom in the middle of the pandemic.
It’s this lived and shared experience, Ezidore says, that gives him a unique perspective. And now, he is making his own headlines, as the 19-year-old was recently elected for the Culver City School Board.
“I’d be the first ever Black male to serve on this body in the entirety of this district,” he said. “And in education, we underserve Black boys the most, so I think of that significance when it comes to this race and this win, and what that means for Black student achievement.”
Ezidore said Black students are a part of a significant student achievement gap alongside English language learners and students with disabilities.
It’s setting that priority for these students that Nancy Barba says is what’s needed on the Culver City School Board. Her daughter, Milo, is 8 years old and a dual-language second-grader who entered the district during COVID.
“A plan that focuses on the success of African American and Latino children is really important in our School District and really, as is the case everywhere, because we see the data, and the data, over and over, shows that we are not doing what we should be doing for those children,” she said.
Barba says there is also a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that children feel supported and are able to recover from any education lost during the pandemic.
Barba saw notable declines in Milo’s mental health when she wasn’t able to have play dates.
“I think those are really important things that kids need and again it’s all part of that societal safety net that schools provide,” she said.
As he studies new ways to provide that safety net, Ezidore points out that Culver City has one of the most diverse school districts in the state, but says the teaching staff and policies don’t always reflect that.
“My job as a board member is going to be to make sure that our policies and practices are implemented with a racial and social justice lens,” he added.
What better man for the job to serve students, he says, than one with a youthful approach and a fresh set of ideas?
For more information about Ezidore’s campaign on, visit www.tristonezidore.com.