Stop Asian Hate
Dear Springwell Community,
This global pandemic and the anti-Asian rhetoric that came with it has let to a drastic uptick in anti-Asian violence and targeting in the past year.
As an Asian American, it has been heartbreaking to witness.
When I hear news of elderly Asians being assaulted and murdered due to anti-Asian sentiment, I can only think of the parents and grandparents in our own families. It could have happened to any of our loved ones.
When I hear of restaurant owners having their property vandalized, destroyed, and receiving physical attacks and death threats, it pains me to think of how their every day business and contributions to society are risks to their lives and the well-being of their families.
When I think of the Asian female spa workers shot and killed in Atlanta, I mourn the awful place that Asian women occupy in the twisted imaginations of too many in our country and around the world. With a daughter of my own who will have to navigate this landscape, how do I prepare her?
What do we do with all this hate?
As a parent and head of school at Springwell, I have to think about what we do with all this hate. How do we teach our little ones and their generation to work with hate that exists in the world. How can we prepare them to thrive and lead in the face of this hate?
Visibility matters.
Are Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) stories represented in the curriculum? Can students and families see AAPI faces in the faculty and staff? Is the student body diverse? It is obvious to say that representation and curriculum matters. At Springwell, we seek to ensure that staff, families, and curriculum all reflect the diversity of the world. For those parents seeking resources and books with Asian American representation, check this wonderful list of early childhood and elementary school texts.
Don’t let the hate define you.
Despite what others may think of me or what they think of those that look like me, I won’t let it define me. That’s what I hope to teach my little ones that our community at Springwell. We all came here with gifts, talents, and purposes. Nobody else’s definition of me with ever, ever, determine my relationship to what I am meant to accomplish in this world. It is this taboo sense of self-empowerment that I hope to pass on to the next generation.
Leveraging the moment
If everything has its purpose, what is the purpose of all this hate? I’m seeing communities forming and getting together to raise awareness of anti-Asian sentiment that is not new to this country. I see leaders and community members rising to speak their truths. I see our community standing together with allies to raise the resources needed to support our communities through this tough time. Check out this movement of DC’s top AAPI chefs that are organizing to combat anti-Asian hate.
Every moment has a purpose. That’s what I can teach to Springwell students and to my children. Yes, we can spiral a bit in the grief of tough situations, but at the end of the journey, we have to ask, what is the point of all of this? How am I called to change? How am I called to be? How am I called to act? If we ask these questions, beautiful, rich, and even surprising answers will emerge.
Join us. It’s not too late.
If you’d like to be at a school where your child can be honest, can grieve, can be empowered and forward-thinking when it comes to tough social issues, come join us. It’s not too late to apply for this Fall. From now until Friday, April 16, we are accepting Round 2 applications for Grades 2-5.
Learn more at our next Open House on Saturday April 10, 10am. Join us to learn about:
Springwell's founding philosophy
student and faculty diversity
our academic program and student-led approach
application process and deadlines
Thank you!
Thank you to the Springwell community for the support and holding the space and receiving this conversation. Together, we can combat this hate, and ask ourselves, how is this meant to change me?
Write to us! We would love to hear from you.
Always, in solidarity,
Gloria Chan
Head of School
