Op-Ed Highlights How Education Leaders, Faculty, and Staff Can Better Support Asian Americans

This commentary, authored by California Competes Executive Director Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez, was published by The Hechinger Report on March 30, 2021.

The atrocities against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders making headlines spotlight the reality millions of individuals live with every day. Time is overdue for one group who has the ability to influence large swaths of people in every community across the country to take action: educators.

It is imperative that educators in positions of power protect Asian Americans at school, at work and at home. It’s not enough to illuminate the ugliness of deeply entrenched racism. Education leaders, faculty and staff must work together to develop meaningful solutions to set an example of how structures can be rebuilt to prioritize equity and empathy.