Our hearts are broken once again.
The recent Atlanta-area shootings that claimed the lives of eight people, six of them Asian women, have left us saddened and confused, as we search for a way to understand yet another racially motivated act of violence in our country. Along with our community, we are committed to building a world where every child thrives. The kind of hate that we all saw this week is a threat to that goal. We must continue to speak against these acts of violence in order to build systems where families and children are afforded the opportunities that they deserve.
In an interview earlier this year, Ruby Bridges said simply, “all of our babies come into the world with a clean heart, a fresh start in life.” This quote reminds us of the promise that we want to nurture in our children. It is a promise that cannot be realized in a society where hate and bias are allowed to exist and thrive.
The Collaboration for Early Childhood stands against racism of any kind. We stand in solidarity with the Asian American and Asian/Pacific Islander mothers, educators, health professionals and systems leaders in our community who nurture our children, who are feeling unsafe today because of this latest act of violence and hate targeted at the AAPI community. We also denounce the misogyny that characterized this attack.
The Collaboration values the diverse voices and perspectives that make up our community and we remain committed to the hard work of challenging systems that would deny opportunity and condone violence against people based on their race, ethnicity or gender. Although hate had its way today, we are committed to this work so that tomorrow can be better.
Here is our invitation to our community:
If you are an Oak Park or River Forest parent of a preschool child and you feel as if your child has been impacted by anti-Asian sentiment, please reach out to us at equity@collab4kids.org. We would like to know.
If you are an Oak Park or River Forest preschool teacher and you would like more information or support around working with and supporting diverse families in your practice, please reach out to us at equity@collab4kids.org. We would like to help you.
For everyone, here are a few resources that we would like to share:
- Show Up: Your Guide to Bystander Intervention by hollaback! You can also participate in a free training.
- Stop AAPI Hate
- Stand Against Hatred by Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- What you can do to fight violence and racism against Asians by Vignesh Ramachandran
- This is what no one tells you about being Asian in America in 2021 by Sharon Kwon