California Educators Condemn Violence Against Asian American Community

Our Home Should Be Safe

NEA President Becky Pringle statement on mass shootings in Atlanta

We must come together to demand safety and justice for the AAPI community

Washington—NEA President Becky Pringle issued the following statement in response to the increasing violence against the AAPI community. The most recent violent attack involved the murder of eight people, including six Asian women, by a white man in Atlanta.

“Whatever the color of our skin, the language we speak or where we were born, we all want to safely move through our communities without fearing for our lives or loved ones. The violence against our AAPI communities, especially AAPI women, is rooted in long-standing anti-Asian discrimination in this country. This trend of targeted hate against our friends, families, and communities has turned even more frequent and deadlier over the past year. Our communities are shattered and afraid.

“All of us are safer when we collectively address hate and bias, and recognize how when we work across racial differences we are stronger.  However, certain politicians aim to distract and divide us with hateful rhetoric, then look the other way while white supremacists grow their ranks to the point where violence by white men against AAPI, Black and brown people is normalized. The victims of this most recent murderous attack have had their lives and dreams stolen and the grief extends across the nation.

“Together, through our grief, pain and anger, AAPI, Black, brown and Indigenous people have been organizing and fighting back against racial terror and violence towards and in our communities.

Most immediately, NEA is demanding that:

• AAPI communities be represented and heard at the local, state and federal levels as immediate needs for safety and care are being discussed and determined.
• Policymakers address the impact that the easy access to gun purchases has on our safety.

“And, we as educators respond when we see or experience hate incidents, provide education from the earliest grades on the histories of our diverse communities to ensure Asian Americans, and all Americans, are seen as equally integral to American history and American society. The NEA stands with and for all of the families coping with their loss, and joins them in demanding justice.”

• CTA PAAC Caucus Statement
• UTLA Statement

How is your local chapter or affiliate working toward anti-racism and supporting your AAPI students, educators and communities? Share with us! humanrightsdept@cta.org

Dear President Biden,

Our nation is based on a promise that every single person – Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous or white – can pursue a better tomorrow. The National Education Association, representing over three million educators, welcomes the Biden Administration’s new memorandum disavowing hate against the Asian American community and urges the Administration to use every tool at its disposal to address rising hate crimes. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Asian Americans have reported acts of hate and violence, and the vast majority live in a climate of fear.

The recent incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans are not new. The increase in anti-Asian racism and discrimination hurts students, families, and communities across the country. Violence against our AAPI communities, especially our elders, is driven by anti-Asian discrimination that has a long-standing history in this country. This trend of targeted hate against our friends, families, and community leaders have turned even deadlier over the past year. We are especially troubled by the recent crimes against Asian Americans that are leaving many people to feel fearful once again. USC’s Race and Equity Center state that “in the last week, Asian Americans in the Bay Area alone have been victims of 20+ acts of assault or robbery.” Additionally, according to a report by Stop AAPI Hate, 1 in 4 Asian American youth are experiencing racist bullying.

The pandemic has deeply affected the AAPI community in ways that are not greatly discussed. For example, the fatality rate from COVID-19 for Asians is nearly triple that of all other ethnic groups in San Francisco. Asian Americans have had a higher unemployment rate than whites and Latinos. Also, 1 in 4 AAPI youth has experienced racist bullying during this pandemic. According to Pew Research, “58% of Asian Americans say it’s more common now than before COVID-19 to experience racism.”

While we recognize that the memorandum is an important first step, much more is needed for the Asian American community to enjoy the equal rights and access to opportunities that it deserves. We support the memorandum’s direction for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the COVID-19 health equity task force to issue guidance on cultural competency and language access. We further support the direction for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to engage with the AAPI community on issues related to hate crimes, hate incidents, and harassment, including ensuring that data is collected in a robust manner.

When our livelihoods, our safety, and our security are threatened, we must stand with and for each other to ensure that our leaders:

Uphold the Executive Orders and Presidential memos seeking justice for AAPIs.

Support Federal, state and local engagement with AAPI communities to promote community-driven solutions that will center the safety and well-being of AAPI, Black, brown and Indigenous communities.

Coordinate with elected state officials, specifically Governors, to ensure that states are creating mitigation plans and are appropriately handling the disproportionate rate of hate crimes against the AAPI community.

Direct the DOJ to not only engage the Asian American community but also to investigate and initiate civil action and to fully fund outreach and education initiatives.

While some may try to divide us, we know no matter who we are, what we look like or who we love, we are stronger when we stand with and for each other. This approach recognizes that in order to effectively address anti-Asian racism, we must work to end all forms of structural racism leveled at Black, brown and Indigenous communities.

All of us are safer when we address hate and bias, and recognize how when we work across racial differences we are stronger. The contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander people to our culture and economy are vast. We urge the Administration to lift up, support and protect the AAPI community.

Sincerely,

Rebecca S. Pringle

President, National Education Association

• Educators Rise to Support Asian American Community | Expanded version
• Heritage Months in May

CTA encourages everyone to join us in creating spaces to have conversations, build community and solidarity to address root causes of hate and violence.

Join an anti-hate organization, reach out to people who need support, donate your money and time – do whatever you can, but do something!

– Amy Lo, Student CTA

Take Action

• Report an anti-AAPI hate incident
• Sign the petition: TRUSD Must Condemn Anti-Asian and Racist Behavior
• Offer resources for the AAPI Community in GA
• Support the AAPI Community Fund
• Sign up for a bystander intervention training to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment
• Read APALA’s Principles for Collective Liberation and hold community conversations on how we can collectively respond, and organize stronger communities

Articles & Toolkits

• Race, Religion and Politics: The complexities of being Asian
• Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
• APALA’s Resource Guide on Anti-Asian Violence
• Anti-Asian Violence Resources
• 30 Revolutionary Asians and Pacific Islanders to celebrate for API Heritage Month
• How to respond to Coronavirus racism in the classroom
• It’s race, class and gender together: Why the Atlanta killings aren’t just about one thing
• Stop AAPI Hate National Report
• Asian American Education Project’s Teacher Training Workshops
• Angry Asian Man Blog
• Characteristics of white supremacy culture
• Humanizing Asian Americans in the Classroom Through Children’s Literature
• Supporting Arab American Students in the Classroom
• Racial Justice in Education Guide
• Addressing Anti-Asian Racism in the University
• Can Majority-White Teachers Unions Be Anti-Racist?
• Microaggressions don’t just hurt your feelings

Organizations Doing the Work

• Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
• People’s Collective for Justice and Liberation
• NAPAWF Atlanta
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Los Angeles
• Filipino Advocates for Justice
• AYPAL for youth
• Chinese Progressive Association San Francisco
• VietRISE
• Khmer Girls In Action
• Hmong Innovating Politics
• Pilipino Workers Center
• Desis Rising Up and Moving
• Asian American Advocacy Fund
• API Equality – LA
• National Queer Asian Pacific Islander American Federation Members
• Offer resources for the AAPI Community in GA
• Teaching Tolerance
• Zinn Education Project
• Rethinking Schools

Books

• Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans

TV, Videos & Film

• What kind of Asian are you?
• A conversation about Black & Asian Solidarity
• The Struggles Of Being An Asian American
• A conversation with white people on race

Accounts to Follow on Instagram

• @ms_kawi
• @briantheory
• @aapiwomenlead
• @musicwithmissalice
• @teachandtransform
• @asiansforblacklives

Podcasts

• Continental Shifts
• Asian Americana
• Brown History
• At the Moment Podcast
• Time to Say Goodbye
• They Call Us Bruce

Have a resource to add? Let us know! humanrights@cta.org

Anti-Racism: The active process of identifying and working toward eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies, practices, norms and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and moves toward equity. See an expanded definition here.

BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The term “builds authentic and lasting solidarity among Black, Indigenous and People of Color, in order to undo Native invisibility, anti-Blackness, dismantle white supremacy and advance racial justice.” (Source: The BIPOC Project)

Colorism: First coined by Alice Walker, colorism is used to refer to within group and between group prejudice and/or discrimination in favor of lighter skin tones and against darker skin tones. It isn’t racism, however there is a clear relationship.

Covert Racism: A form of racism disguised and subtle, rather than public or obvious. Covert racism is woven into the fabric of society and erases BIPOC through seemingly passive methods and underlying messages. See microaggressions.

Critical Race Theory: Activists and scholars interested in studying and transforming the relationship of race, racism and power. Educators are encouraged to read books and work by critical race theorists. 

Cultural Competency: Skill development for work across cultural lines. *Not* about access to resources, power and privilege. *Not* about systems.

Decolonization: Work toward undoing, dismantling the effects of the oppressor/oppressed regime or structures imposed by a colonial power. For a classroom, this can mean unlearning and removing oppressive curriculum, language, images, norms, etc. (Sources 1 2)

Diversity: Awareness and appreciation of difference. It’s *not* about access to resources, power and privilege. *Not* about systems and it’s often very vaguely used. Many schools and organization hyper-focus on this, and need to move beyond it.

Microaggressions: A statement, action or inference that is indirect, subtle discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority. An example might be saying “You’re so articulate” to a Black person (underlying assumption being, it’s surprising you can speak so well for a Black person.) Some folks may refer to microaggressions as “Your racism is showing.” (See video 1, video 2)

Optical/Performative Allyship: Solidarity that only serves at the surface level to lift up and provide a platform for the ally. Makes a statement but doesn’t go beneath the surface and is not aimed at breaking away from the systems of power that oppress. (Source: Latham Thomas) Folks should work to center the movement, not themselves.

School to Prison Pipeline: A disturbing national trend where children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Most of these children are students of color, have learning disabilities and/or histories of poverty, abuse, or neglect. Instead of receiving additional educational and counseling support services, they are isolated, punished, suspended and pushed out.

Social Justice/Equity: Examines systems and history and how they impact individuals and looks squarely at access to resources, power and privileges, and asks “Who has it?” It’s about big picture and daily lives. 

Racism: A system (consisting of structures, policies, practices and norms) that structures opportunity and assigns value based on socially constructed categories of people. It unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities and provides advantages and access to others. The system of racism does not allow the realization of one’s full potential because it denies access to resources, power and privilege.

Whiteness: Like race, whiteness is a social construct rather than an essential characteristic or biological fact; is used as cultural property, and provides resources, power and privilege to those who are considered white, pass as white, or are given “honorary” white status

White Fragility: Describes the disbelieving defensiveness that white people exhibit when their ideas about race and racism are challenged—and particularly when they feel implicated in white supremacy. (Source: Robin DiAngelo). “White tears” are a symptom of white fragility.

White Privilege: The resources, power and privilege provided to people who are considered white; an exemption of social, political, and/or economic burdens placed on BIPOC; benefitting from societal structuring that prioritizes white people and whiteness.

White Savior Complex: Refers to a white person who assumes that folks of color need their “help” and “saving.” We see this trope play out in the media, racist curriculum and histories, choices made about traveling abroad, foreign policy, organizational structures and more. (Sources: 1 2)

White Supremacy: A historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations and peoples of color by white people for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of resources, power and privilege.

Have a word or term you’d like added, expanded or edited? Let us know! humanrightsdept@cta.org

Caucuses

The Pacific Asian American Caucus of the California Teachers Association exists to advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander educators, students, and communities both within the organization as well as in society at large. Membership is open to any CTA member interested in the issues facing these students and communities regardless of ethnicity. The caucus meets at CTA State Councils as well as at many CTA conferences to discuss issues and bring forward solutions. Please join us!

Caucus members advise, educate and lobby CTA State Council of Education and the CTA Board of Directors on issues of concern to the varying caucuses. Membership in CTA caucuses is open to all CTA members.

REAC

Learn more about REAC here.

Equity Teams

Coming soon!