Level Up: Increasing Your Allyship to Stop AAPI Hate

During the month of March we came to a point where we can no longer ignore the anti-Asian violence ever present in our society. Violence as a result of anti-Asian sentiments expressed during our year in the pandemic, but also as a result of attitudes and policies that continue to position Asian Americans as second class citizens and foreigners in their own country. As we work together to end marginalization and discrimination, we must remember that we are not playing the Oppression Olympics. It's not one group's marginalization over another's. The AAPI struggle sits alongside the struggle of all marginalized people in the push for a more just and anti-racist world. This requires each of us to work across racial and cultural groups to end oppression, racism, colorism, and xenophobia targeted at any individual or group of people. 

​We must ask ourselves: What are my blind spots when it comes to an awareness of the human experience? Why is it important for me to fight racism, colorism, and xenophobia in my community? How do I build the courage and capacity to be able to support others in times when injustice, racism, or xenophobia arise?

In this episode you’ll hear from: 

• Angela Lee (@mrshistorylee), a 20+ year veteran world history educator, striving to bring diverse and global perspectives into her classroom and to other educators. 
• Karalee Wong Nakatsuka (@historyfrog), a passionate and friendly 8th U.S. History Teacher committed to putting the WE into We the People by teaching an inclusive and diverse history where students see themselves and others who don’t look like them through an empathetic lens, so that they develop into engaged, informed, active and empathetic citizens.
• Stacy Yung (@stacyyung), a middle school history teacher, edtech enthusiast, and social justice advocate who strives to promote student voice and to empower students to be active citizens in their communities and globally.
• Virginia Nguyen (@VirginiaHNguyen), a committed antiracist educator, who’s spent her teaching career committed to creating a classroom that celebrates diversity, has an inclusive spirit and curriculum, and models and inspires equity. 

Stacy and Virginia created the “Educate to Empower” linktree as a tool to empower your allyship: https://linktr.ee/edu_to_empower

It is incumbent upon each of us to listen when others share their experiences with us and then begin our own quest to unlearn and dismantle damaging attitudes and behaviors that live in us and in our communities.  Our anti-racism journey requires us to become more aware- to shed our ignorance. Some people ask… “What if I get it wrong?”. You won’t know if you’re getting it right until you get it wrong. This means we have to open ourselves up to the vulnerability of connection, the beauty of listening with intention, and the humility to engage restoration when we participate in the marginalization of others.

Again, bookmark Stacy and Virginia “Educate to Empower” linktree: https://linktr.ee/edu_to_empower

Find more resources in the episode's show notes!