“You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it.”
-Grace Lee Boggs, Chinese-American Author and Activist
Turnaround Arts California condemns the attacks against Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) across the United States. There have been over 3,800 documented anti-Asian hate incidents between March 2020-February 2021, 45% occurred in California, 13% against youth ages 12-17, and 5% occurring at school. There are many additional cases that are misclassified, ignored or unreported. This month’s murders in Atlanta of 8 people, 6 of which were Asian Americans, sits at the intersection of gender-based, class-based and race-based violence. We all deserve to feel safe and live without the threat of violence in our daily lives.
As educators and artists, we must play an active role in combating bias and bigotry especially in our schools. When students experience negative stereotyping in school, it can impair self-perception and student performance. That AAPI students are often subjected to positive stereotyping in the “model minority” myth, does not exclude them from psychological harm and impaired student engagement and performance. As with other racialized groups, Asian American is an umbrella term that covers broad and diverse peoples, overlooking vastly uneven trajectories and educational outcomes. We commit to repudiating violence and harassment on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual orientation or ability. We know that the arts help students develop self-knowledge and empathy, and support school community-building around our shared humanity, and we will continue to support our partner schools to ensure that all of our students, families and staff are represented, included, and celebrated in their school community.
Recommended Resources:
- Let’s Talk! Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students – Classroom ready strategies to build courage and skill in having critical conversations with students – Learning for Justice
- Challenging Anti-Asian Bias and Acting as an Ally – Educator resources by the Anti-Defamation League
- Anti-Racist Art Teachers – Curricular resources and approaches for visual arts teachers
- Books on Asians and Asian Americans for Children, Youth and Adults – Social Justice Books
- PBS’s Asian American docuseries about the individual stories that make up the role of Asian Americans in shaping our nation’s story
- Toolbox for Care – You may wish to extend and adapt this community self-care activity focused on the pandemic to current events of Anti-Asian hate
- COVID-19 Anti-Asian Resources for K-12 – Comprehensive recommendations created for the American Library Association, including links to podcasts, videos, news articles
- What Antiracism Really Means for Educators – Learning for Justice
- Anti-Racist Books for PreK-5th and 6-12th Grade Educators- Embrace Race
- Online Teaching Can be Culturally Responsive – Learning for Justice
- Talking to Children About Racial Bias – developmentally appropriate guide
- 100 Race Conscious Things You Can Say to Your Child to Advance Racial Justice – Raising Race Conscious Children
- APISAA Therapist Directory – Asian Mental Health Collective
- Why Pronouncing Students’ Names is Important to Building Relationships
Barbara admits she is a technological dinosaur, so when school moved to a virtual environment in March 2020 she was feeling daunted. Thanks to her school’s support she was able to quickly get the hang of the new technology. However, Barbara was not prepared for the challenge of student engagement. She shared, “My classes were poorly attended. I struggled with identifying the reasons and was determined to do everything in my power to reach my students.” 
