Activism
Asian Americans Know Centuries of White Supremacy Too
I’m all for recycling. The good kind. Paper. Plastics. Just not the hate.
But what do we have with us in Atlanta?
It’s Vincent Chin, you know the Asian American killed in Detroit in 1982 with a baseball bat by
a white auto worker angry at Japanese imports taking over the market.
But Chin was Chinese, not Japanese. Details.
That’s why I say Atlanta was Vincent Chin with the names changed.
Soon Chung Park, 74, worked at Gold spa.
Hyun Jung Grant, 51, the single mother who worked at Gold Spa to support herself and her two
sons.
Suncha Kim, 69, a Gold Spa worker.
Yong Ae Yue, 63, a worker at the Aromatherapy Spa.
Xiaojie Tan, 49, the owner of Young’s Asian Massage.
Daoyou Feng, 44, an employee at Young’s Asian Massage.
Those six names strike the discordant history of the hateful treatment of Asian Americans in this
country, from the Chinese Exclusion Act in the 19th Century to today.
Asian Americans know hate and racism from their first day in America.
President Joe Biden recognized it. And now suddenly, Biden has become one of the most
pro-Asian American presidents the U.S. has seen since Reagan signed the bill giving Japanese
Americans redress.
Think about that. Did either of the Bushes, Clinton, or even Obama do anything that addressed
Asian American existential angst like Biden?
One thing for sure, the last president was the absolute worst. He slurred Asian Americans and
made us targets.
In contrast, Biden has shined a light on us and made us visible.
He selected Vice President Kamala Harris, who is half South Asian of Indian descent.
As he began his presidency, Biden signed an unusual executive order making sure everyone in
the country knew that the attacks on Asian Americans were wrong and “un-American.”
He came out strong for us in his first national television address a few weeks ago.
And then, after meeting with local AAPI leaders after last week’s shootings in Atlanta, Biden
once again elevated our status simply by showing everyone he has our backs. His remarks are
worth remembering because they put him on record, as he described the impact of Trump
administration rhetoric on the AAPI community.
“It’s been a year of living in fear for their lives,” Biden said of all AAPIs in the country. “Hate
and violence often hide in plain sight and often are met with silence. That’s been true throughout
our history. and that has to change.
“Because our silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit. We have to speak out. We have to
act. For all the good the laws can do, we have to change our hearts.
“Hate can have no safe harbor in America. It must stop. And it’s on all of us, all of us together, to
make it stop.”
Strong words, from no less than the president of the United States.
It’s enough to unite Asian Americans. Is our fear enough to unite a country?
Not with Republicans like Texas Congressman Chip Roy, who couldn’t find the empathy at last
week’s Judiciary Subcommittee hearing to change his heart and join in condemning the murder
of eight people in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian American women.
“My concern about the hearing is that it seems to want to venture into the policing of rhetoric,”
said Roy, a Trump backer who was trying to defend the ex-president’s “China Virus” and “Kung
Flu” remarks.
Asian American voters, a third of whom voted Republican for Trump, should remember this. The
Republicans who remain hell-bent on defending Trump’s big lie–that he won the 2020
election–see “China Virus” as a matter of Trump’s free speech.
And what of the thousands of AAPIs victimized by his hateful turn of phrase?
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) let him have it.
“This hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community, and to find solutions,” Meng
said in a rare show of emotion and passion. “We will not let you take our voice away from us.”
That’s where we are today.
People are angry. And only the Democrats truly seem interested, not just in stopping the hate but
in recognizing it.
This week, Meng and Sen. Mazie Hirono continued to campaign for their Covid Hate Crime Bill
that would have the Justice Department conduct fast reviews of possible hate crime cases. This
was thought up long before the shootings in Atlanta, but it would seem to be perfect timing. The
the bill also sets up an online reporting system in different Asian languages that would stop the
undercounting of hate crimes and make it easy for AAPIs to report them.
Robert Aaron Long, 21, the Atlanta shooting suspect, has been charged with eight counts of
murder and one count of aggravated assault. Long has admitted to the shootings but told police
he was just a religious man battling sex addiction. The shootings Long told police, weren’t
racially motivated.
That’s what they all say.
Ronald Ebens, who killed Vincent Chin with a baseball bat, said the same thing.
Ebens did get off without spending time in jail. Long is being held without bail while the police
continue to investigate.
That does nothing for Asian Americans, still grief-stricken and angry. Hate crime enhancements
could easily be applied if the new Georgia state hate crime statute that expands coverage to
include sex as well as race, is used.
But if that’s not forthcoming, it would definitely send Asian Americans a harsh message of our
real value in this country.
It will also test the community’s strength and courage. What will our response be then? Will
others in the BIPOC feel our pain, join us in alliance, and speak with one voice in unison against
these crimes?
Or will AAPI be left wondering how we get justice for our six sisters killed in Atlanta?
Soon Chung Park.
Hyun Jung Grant.
Suncha Kim.
Yong Ae Yue.
Xiaojie Tan.
Daoyou Feng.
They are our dead, the latest in the sad narrative of Asian Americans in this country since the
19th Century, the agonizing history of recycled hate.
Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He’s a veteran Bay Area media person and a
former host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Go to his blog at www.amok.com for an
interview with Oakland playwright Ishmael Reed about Reed’s new play on the exploitation of
Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Racially Motivated Violence Against Black Teen Prompts $10 Million Claim Against LAUSD
In December, a second altercation, on a video shared with news media, showed 4 to 6 boys attacking a Black student and using racial slurs. The video also shows a person in a safety vest trying to stop the fight and telling them to “handle it after school.” Then, the video ends.
By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media
A distraught mother and her legal team announced a $10 million lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on Dec. 16, alleging that her son was the target of bullying because of his race.
“CS DOE is a 14-year-old African American student at Verdugo High School. He is a Ninth Grader,” reads a statement the plaintiff’s attorneys shared with California Black Media (CBM).
“Almost from the first day of class (in August 2024), CS DOE was targeted by Latino students who called him racial slurs, physically attacked him and threatened to stab him.”
The family’s identity has not yet been released to the public due to safety concerns, according to their attorneys Bradley C. Gage and Caree Harper. The student’s mother is identified only as A.O. in the complaint.
The first video, filmed in August, showed several non-Black students punching and kicking a Black student in a bathroom on campus while yelling racial slurs. The mother claims that the students who attacked her son were not punished, and the administration asked her to move her son to another school for his safety.
“They wanted him to leave the school without giving any disciplinary action towards those students,” said the student’s mother. “He’s not going anywhere. He’s going to finish. I wanted him to at least stay until the December winter break, and then I was going to transfer schools for him.”
Before she could enroll her son in a different school the attacks escalated.
In December, a second altercation, on a video shared with news media, showed 4 to 6 boys attacking a Black student and using racial slurs. The video also shows a person in a safety vest trying to stop the fight and telling them to “handle it after school.” Then, the video ends.
CS DOE, a 14-year-old freshman, left the school but was followed by a car, according to Gage. Several individuals exited the vehicle, one with a “large butcher knife.” A fight ensued and two people were stabbed. The Black student was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon but was later released into his mother’s custody.
The high school freshmen is scheduled to appear in juvenile court on Feb. 1, but Harper says she will reach out to the District Attorney and make the case against charging the young man.
“His mama had to go find him because he was hiding and fleeing for his very life,” said Harper.
According to the boy’s mother, the young student is still traumatized and has not been able to return to the area because it remains unsafe. Racial slurs have also been spray painted on their home.
“I’m sad. I’m devastated, you know,” said the mother. “I still feel like they’re after him. I still feel like they can kill him, possibly.”
The LAUSD and principal of Verdugo High School did not respond to CBM’s requests for comment.
If you are – or someone you know is – has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, please visit CAvsHate.org for more information and to find out what you can do about it.
Activism
2024 In Review: 7 Questions for the California Association of Black School Educators
CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges. The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.
By Edward Henderson, California Black Media
The California Association of Black School Educators (CABSE) is an organization consisting of elected and appointed school officials, administrators and instructors from across California who are committed to advancing equity for Black students.
CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools and charter school organizations, public school districts, traditional public schools, and community colleges.
The organization’s primary goal is to expand PK-14 educational opportunities for all students in California, with an emphasis on under-represented and under-served Black students.
California Black Media (CBM) spoke with CABSE President Satra Zurita and Conference Chair Micah Ali about this year’s successes, disappointments, and plans for the organization coming into the new year.
Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why?
Ali: I would have to say that two highlights have been the ongoing support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Engie, and other sponsors that have enabled us to bring together like-minded education leaders twice a year to collectively advance innovative and meaningful strategies to achieve change on behalf of Black students across our state.
How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians?
Zurita: CABSE’s leadership and investment in improving the education system for Black students in our great state has resulted in a long-standing focus on transforming public education and its response to Black students. By pulling from the very wisdom of those educators and leaders who care deeply about Black students and who are showing great promise through their efforts.
What frustrated you the most over the last year?
Zurita: Continuing to see the deep impact of COVID-19 Pandemic school site closures on students academically and emotionally — especially Black students. This makes our work and our advocacy more vital than ever.
CBM: What inspired you the most over the last year?
Zurita: Seeing our CABSE convenings grow in depth and breadth — our strategies, powerful content and reach.
What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?
Ali: Our Blueprint for Education Equity is a crowd-sourced framework of strategies that have shown great promise for improving the education experiences and opportunities for Black students. In 2024, we developed an equity self-assessment tool for districts to use in evaluating their own efforts on behalf of Black students. Strategies are helping Black students.
In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?
Zurita: Many Black students across our state are dealing with a host of challenges: homelessness, food insecurity, exposure to violence, not to mention bias remains a pervasive problem. To add to the challenge, educators are worn out, tired, and frustrated. We now need to think about how we can simultaneously inspire and empower students and educators alike. The system needs an overhaul.
What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?
Zurita: In 2025, we hope to stand CABSE up as a fully functioning non-profit organization engaged in research and policy design.
Ali: We also aim to deepen the content of our convenings, including adding a Math Track and what we are calling Social Determinants of Education Track to our annual conference and institute, which will address those social contexts that prevent Black students from realizing their potential as students.
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Oakland Post: Week of January 1 – 7, 2025
Racially Motivated Violence Against Black Teen Prompts $10 Million Claim Against LAUSD
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