By Umme Hoque, Illustration: Derrick Dent, Prism, June 16, 2021
An open letter from AAPI high school students in Massachusetts begins with a simple statement: “We are high school students from Boston, Malden, and Quincy, members of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) Youth Center. We ask educators and superintendents to address the surge of anti-Asian racism that followed the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Teens at BCNC Youth Center published the open letter in September 2020 as anti-Asian hate crimes hit record highs. At the time, AAPI students across the country had reported a surge in bullying and an uptick in racial discrimination and insensitivity by teachers and peers. In the letter, the students asked their schools to invest in training, support, and ongoing education around racial discrimination for students, teachers, and faculty in order to support all students of color. After the release of the AAPI open letter, the school committee, the mayor, and superintendent in nearby Cambridge issueda resolution in solidarity with Asian Americans. The resolution was a direct response to the open letter by the teens.
The students from BCNC Youth Center aren’t the only teens actively trying to make a difference. Their demands mirror other students across the country who are also using online platforms and social media to call out racism and demand change.
Comments (0)