Dear AUSD Community,
Unity Rally Against Anti-Asian Hate
This past week, the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia gave us yet another tragedy to mourn. Anti-Asian violence has skyrocketed across the nation in the past year, and is present even in Albany. Please join us for a Unity Rally at 1200 Solano Avenue, (corner of Solano and Cornell) from 3:00pm - 4:00pm this Friday, March 26.
AUSD Stands Against Anti-Asian Hate
It was just in my March 5 Community Update that I called out Anti-Asian hate and applauded the formation of the Asian-Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group:
“Since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, there has been an increase in hateful behavior against Asians and Asian Americans. Many of us have seen video footage of disgusting acts of anti-Asian violence in the Bay Area and across our nation. The Asian community has faced scapegoating that has made many feel increasingly unsafe in their own communities. Our nation has a long history of racism, xenophobia, and prejudice and we must stand together with our Asian and Asian American students, colleagues, and neighbors to reaffirm that bigotry has no place here. Central to the work of educating our children is reinforcing everyone's sense of belonging—this belonging supersedes racial and ethnic lines. Anti-Asian racism is not new, is rooted in the same systemic oppression that devalues all people of color, and grows when communities turn against one another.
I want to take a moment to reaffirm our district’s commitment to providing an equitable and inclusive environment and to our ongoing work of addressing systemic racism and oppression. To those in our community who have been directly affected by this bigotry, know that we see you, sympathize with you, and are here to support you. A parent engagement group for those who identify as Asian Pacific Islanders is forming. I welcome our Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group and applaud their desire to raise a voice in support of their students. For more information about the Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group, contact [email protected].”
Come to the Unity Rally on Friday so that we can stand together.
Dr. Frank Wells
Superintendent of Schools
Albany Unified School District