Teaching for Justice
by Tuyen Tran
March 15, 2022
Not all anniversaries are happy occasions. It is a solemn remembrance that this week marks the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings, where a gunman killed eight people, six of whom are of Asian descent. Also devastating are the over 10,000 reported incidents (and counting) of anti-Asian hate since the start of the pandemic. Statistical data belies the names and personal histories of the victims. The senseless violence met by Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Yao Pan Ma, Michelle Alyssa Go, and Hoa Thi Nguyen could have been any of us fitting a racialized profile. Anti-Asian hate is indiscriminate in its discrimination.
Not all is lost. We cannot recover the victims, but we can reclaim their stories. This act may move us towards healing, and as a community, hope in one another
Part of the journey towards a better future is understanding how we can learn from what and whom has passed, since the pandemic and centuries back even. Anti-Asian hate is not new, it’s heightened due to very specific causes that appear today and throughout history. In this issue of Current Context, “Anti-Asian Racism in the United States History”, Professor Cecilia Tsu of UC Davis argues that today’s treatment of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) is a continuity of the past. AAPIs are perceived as perpetual “foreigners.” Similar to other racial and ethnic minorities, they are exponentially susceptible to racial violence during health crises and economic depressions. In the face of racism, AAPIs resisted then and now.
Join us for Teaching for Justice to learn more about AAPI histories and communities, of the legacy of fighting for justice and more. It is our sincere hope to create a community of professionals who believe in the power of truth seeking and telling. Over the course of two days, our hybrid conference, the first day online and the second day in-person at UCI, we will learn, share, and build. Registration and logistical information are provided here.
Tuyen Tran, Ph.D. is the Assistant Director of the California History-Social Science Project and historian whose fields of interests are twentieth century United States history and Asian American history, particularly Southeast Asian American. She has developed curriculum and led professional development workshops on Asian American experiences in California for k-12 history teachers across the state.