Dear Dean Harris,

The College of Arts and Sciences has recently entered into an interagency agreement (#20230360) with the OSPI to produce materials and resources about the history of Americans of Chinese descent. However, due to Teaching Professor Connie So’s recent xenophobic comments regarding “Americans of Chinese descent,” we feel that she would be biased and is unsuitable for working on this project. Additionally, we have serious concerns about the quality of her work, judging from her poorly conducted research for the OSPI. Therefore, we would like to request that Professor Connie So be removed from the OSPI Americans of Chinese descent history project (interagency agreement # 20230360).

Exhibition #1:

During the House public hearing on March 21, 2023, Professor Connie So argued that the term “Americans of Chinese descent” does not include people of Chinese descent in the US who were banned from naturalization. She went on to argue that Chinese railroad workers of the 19th century and many others are not “actually Americans” (https://youtu.be/t2uHaXFUQJQ). So’s xenophobic comments should be condemned.

Regardless of our heritage, we can all agree that America is a country of immigrants. Our family roots in this country trace back to immigrants who came to this land. Being an American is not defined by one’s race, ethnicity, or national origin, but by shared values and contributions to this country. It is our responsibility to rectify historical injustices and acknowledge that our ancestors, who built railroads, dug canals, and worked on plantations, in this country, are Americans. Their stories are an integral part of American history, and they are identifiable as “Americans of Chinese descent.”

While our society commonly uses the terms “Chinese Americans” and “Americans of Chinese descent” interchangeably, Professor So insisted on drawing a distinction between the two terms. As a result, Professor So’s definition of “Americans of Chinese descent” is much narrower than the intent and scope of OSPI’s Americans of Chinese Descent History project. Therefore, her involvement in the OSPI project will inevitably leave out a large part of the history of people of Chinese descent in this country.

The OSPI project originated from a proviso in the 2022 state budget. Senator Keith Wagoner, the primary sponsor of the Americans of Chinese Descent History Month bill, requested $25,000 to the OSPI for developing educational and promotional materials for Americans of Chinese descent. We, representing many people of Chinese descent in Washington, requested Senator Wagoner’s bill. Our intent for such a bill is to promote the entire and complete history of Americans of Chinese descent, which includes the early immigrants since the 18th century, regardless of their naturalization status. The term “Americans of Chinese descent” is used in the bill because it acknowledges that we are Americans first and foremost and fights against the exact xenophobic views that Professor So has on immigrants.

Exhibition #2

According to Professor So, she was commissioned to “evaluate whether January is the best month to honor ‘Americans of Chinese Descent’ –the title of the original bill”. On January 31, 2023, she submitted a report named “Recommendations for Chinese American Month” based on poorly constructed “research” from a survey of 18 respondents out of a homogeneous group of 40 people. (See attached) Professor So justified her recommendation based on the answers of 18 people from her list of close friends and political allies, which lacks diversity in immigration background, social economical status, and geographic representation. There was no modern survey sampling technique at all in her “so-called” research, and the size of her survey would NOT be qualified as quantitative research by any standard.  The survey itself was confusedly designed with a bias towards their preferred name “Chinese American Month”. Professor So’s survey results can’t withstand any academic scrutiny. 

It is appalling to see such poor quality work come out of a professor at UW. Professor So demonstrated a lack of basic research skills. The 2022 proviso is for our community, the OSPI project is for our future generation, and we don’t have confidence that professor So will be able to deliver quality materials that are free of errors or biases. 

Copying OSPI and Senator Wagoner on this request.

Regards,

WA Asians For Equality

The post Letter to UW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Requesting Teaching Professor Connie So To Be Removed From the OSPI Contract Project appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

Mr. Eaton’s April 1st letter was sent to Chinese parents at Blackwell Elementary in response to their letter on March 21st. 62 parents from the Chinese American community at Blackwell Elementary co-signed the letter. We obtained Mr. Eaton’s letter from the District and confirmed that Mr. Eaton’s letter is the District’s official position on this incident. In Mr. Eaton’s letter, he said “I want to apologize for the impact that this incident has had on you. I have come to understand from our correspondence and meetings that the way one of our teachers wore traditional Chinese attire in celebrating the Lunar New Year was considered a form of appreciation. “

Dr. Ross also indicated in her response on June 8th that “all public records requests concerning this matter will be forwarded to you immediately. ” After some follow-ups, we received the first batch of PRA (Public Records Act) records. However, the internal investigation communications/documents are not included in the first batch. We are still awaiting the remaining PRA records. We will update the public on the PRA findings after we receive and review them.

The post LWSD Blackwell Elementary Chinese New Year Incident Update appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

The Chinese American Community Put up the Second Billboard in Speaker Jinkins’ District to Protest Her Decision To Allow Partisan Politics To Chinese American History Month

Bellevue Washington – July 14, 2022 – The second billboard was put up in Speaker Laurie Jinkins’ district to protest her decision to allow partisan politics to kill Chinese American History Month. This year, under Speaker Jinkins’ watch, Washington State House Democrats killed the Chinese American History Month. PRA (Public Records Act) records revealed the final 36 hours of hyper-partisan behind-the-door political maneuvering that doomed SB 5264, the Chinese American History Month bill.

In 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed SB 5865, establishing October as Filipino American History Month. Inspired by this bill, Washington Asians for Equality and American Coalition for Equality advocated for a bill to establish a Chinese American History Month.

In 2020, Senator Hans Zeiger from Puyallup, introduced SB 6679, near the end of the legislative session, declaring January as Chinese American history month and encouraging public schools to commemorate the month. SB 6679 had bipartisan co-sponsors and wide legislative support from both parties, but as is common with new legislative ideas, didn’t get through the process the first time.

In 2021, Senator Keith Wagoner reintroduced SB 6679 as SB 5264 for the 2021-2022 legislative session. In 2022, the Washington State Senate quickly passed SB 5264 48 to 0. On February 12th, the Senate State Government and Elections Committee Chair, Senator Sam Hunt sent an email with the subject line “Senate bills in House” to House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee Chair, Javier Valdez. In this email, Senator Hunt included SB 5264 on their priority list and considered it among “quick and easy bills.” This vote and the accompanying messages again show the strong bi-partisan support in the Senate.

The House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee passed SB 5264 unanimously. The bill was put on the House floor run list for a final floor vote on March 3rd. If passed, SB 5264 would have established January as Americans of Chinese Descent History Month.

However, less than an hour after the House Democrat Caucus decided to put SB 5264 on the run list, Rep. My-Linh Thai (D-41st) sent out a high-priority email to what is called the “House Democrat Members of Color Caucus” (MOCC) saying “I respectfully ask you to support us by voting NO to SB5264”. Thai continued to say, “I can’t say enough the backwardness of moving this legislation forward.”

Prior to establishing Filipino American History Month in 2019, Washington had already established a Japanese Remembrance Day in 2003, and a Korean American Day in 2007. Rep. Thai did not offer an explanation for why she personally voted to establish Filipino American History Month yet called the establishment of a Chinese American History Month “backwardness”. Several text messages from Rep. Thai to Speaker Jinkins in the morning of March 3rd offered a glimpse into her reason for stopping SB 5264. At 10:38 am, Rep. Thai texted Speaker Jinkins, “Please hold 5264”, then at 10:54 am, Thai asked, “Love to hear your take on the “politics” of not passing this bill.”

At 11:17 am on March 3rd, Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-32nd) sent out an email requesting a floor amendment to eliminate January as Chinese American History Month. The bill’s sponsor, Senator Wagoner, only found out about this elimination amendment on March 4th, the cut-off day of the 2022 legislative session. In his email to Ryu, Senator Wagoner said, “I respectfully request you withdraw your amendment to my bill. I appreciate the intent to connect to other important individuals and groups but feel that it has the potential to dilute the intent of the bill. Having it brought to my attention at this late juncture doesn’t allow time for us to discuss it and give your amendment the consideration it deserves. Thank you for your consideration.” The amendment seemed designed to kill the bill and make sure it could not pass.

SB 5264 was never brought out for a House floor vote and died on March 4th. Although Speaker Laurie Jinkins was aware of and allowed this anti-Chinese contingent in her caucus to kill the bill, many in her Caucus were left without knowledge of those behind-the-door activities.

In an April 1st email discussing the interview request from The Spokesman-Review on SB 5264, Rep. Valdez told House Democratic Caucus Senior Communication Specialist Guy Bergstrom that “Not much I could say. After the House bill cutoff date, our Committee only had four meetings to hear and pass Senate bills. We heard 5264 on the second meeting and passed it out unanimously on the third meeting date. Mr. James should probably talk to someone on leadership on why 5264 did not run on the Floor. Or perhaps to talk to Rep. Ryu who had a floor amendment that was dropped on the bill. ” Rep. Valdez is a member of MOCC.

Another member of MOCC, Rep. Bill Ramos, also sent out emails on March 7th, three days after SB 5264 was killed, saying “I am hoping to have a specific mocc agenda item to talk this whole thing out” and “really look forward to a full open discussion. This is a complicated issue and love to get us all with full understanding of which I do not have it all either.”

“Rep. Thai and Ryu architected the killing of Chinese American History Month. Under Speaker Jinkins’ watch, they are now positioning themselves as leaders of the so-called “Work Group for Chinese American Day/Week/Month designation for Washington State”. We see them as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Speaker Jinkins left our community with no other choice but to continue putting up billboards to raise public awareness on this issue. The House Democratic Caucus states that they are an inclusive organization that works hard to do good policy work without being sidetracked by politics, but this racial bias against Chinese Americans and our issues because of politics says otherwise” said Linda Yang of WA Asians For Equality.

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The post News Alert: New Billboard Is Up to Protest Laurie Jinkins for Allowing Partisan Politics to Kill the Chinese American History Month appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

If passed, ESB 5264 would declare January as Americans of Chinese descent history month and encourage (not mandate) public schools to commemorate Americans of Chinese descent’s lives, history, achievements, and contributions.

The Senate quickly passed ESB 5264 by 48 to 0 in January. The bill then passed the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee unanimously and reached the House floor calendar on February 26. The bill was even added to the House Democrats’ “Bills to Brief and Run” list on March 3rd. Then, the behind-the-scenes politics began to play out.

In a text message exchange on March 3^rd, Rep. My-Linh Thai told Speaker Jinkins to “Please hold 5264”, then asked, “Love to hear your take on the ‘politics’ of not passing this bill.” On March 4^th, shortly after ESB 5264 missed the cut-off and died, in an email exchange with her legislative assistant, Rep. Cindy Ryu said, “I am sure they will try to beat down our doors. Same group as those who were occupying the hallways and the rotunda with the drumming and yelling three sessions ago re: I-1000.” She later added, “With the passage of this bill, they would have been further emboldened.”

Clearly, rather than governing based on the bill’s substance, Speaker Jinkins allowed a few members of her caucus to play partisan politics, using ESB 5264 as a vehicle to seek revenge on the Chinese American community who legitimately disagreed with them on an entirely separate policy issue a few years ago.

Rep. Ryu went so far as to suggest that their caucus by-pass the most active and organized Chinese American advocacy groups that have been working on establishing a Chinese American history month for the past three consecutive legislative sessions and form a new one of their own to represent Chinese Washingtonians so that they can “lay the foundation, but in [their] own terms”.On March 9, Rep. Ryu wrote, “I’m thinking beyond them, to MOCC owning this messaging and in fact gathering people together (in spite of this group).” Having individual legislators, or the House Democratic Caucus, form a fake Chinese minority group to serve their own political interests is a frightening concept. It is politics at its very worst.  

When asked about the prospect of a Chinese American History Month in Washington State, in her interview with The Spokesman-Review in April, Speaker Jinkins could not look past the politics and refused to commit to supporting the long-overdue recognition that Chinese Americans deserve. 

And to suggest that “other racial and ethnic communities” may oppose ESB 5264 in that same interview, Speaker Jinkins is attempting to divide the Asian American community and the broader persons of color communities. Speaker Jinkins claimed that she is “standing against bad ideas that divide people and pit communities against each other.” We are hoping to see that she applies the same standards to the Chinese American community and the Chinese American History Month bill: governing instead of politicking; uniting instead of dividing. 

The post Speaker Jinkins owes the public an answer for allowing her caucus to politicize and kill Chinese American History Month appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

THE CHINESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN WASHINGTON PUT UP A BILLBOARD IN SPEAKER LAURIE JINKINS’ DISTRICT TO PROTEST HER DECISION TO KILL CHINESE AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

Bellevue Washington – May 18, 2022 – A billboard was put up in House Speaker Laurie Jinkins’ district last Friday. The message on the billboard says, “1885 Chinese expelled from Tacoma. 2022 Speaker Laurie Jinkins killed Chinese American History Month. Learn from history.” This is the continuation of the Chinese American community’s protest against Speaker Jinkins’ decision to kill ESB 5264, the Americans of Chinese descent history month bill

If passed, ESB 5264 would declare January as Americans of Chinese descent history month and encourage (not mandate) public schools to commemorate Americans of Chinese descent’s lives, history, achievements, and contributions. 

Last year, Senator Wagoner sponsored SB 5264. The bill has zero fiscal impact, and was passed out of committee unanimously. Yet, Senate Democrat Leadership sat on it and let the bill die twice. The Chinese American community strongly condemned Senate Democrat Leadership’s missing in action.

This year, Senate quickly passed ESB 5264 by 48 to 0 in January. This would allow this bill enough time to navigate through the House. After the bill finally reached House floor calendar on February 26, House Democrat Leadership intentionally blocked this bill, having plenty of time and all the power to bring this bill out for an all member vote.

The Chinese American community was outraged by the House Democrat Leadership’s intentional expulsion of the Americans of Chinese descent history month bill from WA State Law. They sent out a press release on March 7th and called out the House Democrat Leadership for discriminating against and humiliating the Chinese American community.

In her interview with The Spokesman-Review in April, House Speaker Jinkins told the reporter that “majority Democrats had questions about assigning months to ‘sub-ethnic’ groups.“ Just 3 years ago, in 2019, ALL House Democrats, Laurie Jinkins included, voted to pass SB 5864 and designate October as Filipino American History Month. House Democrats clearly had no “questions” about passing SB 5864 and designating a month for the Filipino “sub-ethnic” group, yet they now claim to have “questions” about assigning a month for Chinese Americans, the largest Asian ethnic group in Washington. 

In a March 3rd text message exchange with Speaker Jinkins , Rep. My-Linh Thai asked, “Love to hear your take on the ‘politics’ of not passing this bill [i.e. ESB 5264, the Americans of Chinese descent history month bill].” On March 4th, less than an hour after ESB 5264 missed cutoff and died, Rep. Cindy Ryu celebrated their victory with her legislative assistant and said in an email, “With the passage of this bill, they [i.e. the community organizations behind ESB 5264] would have been further emboldened.” Rep. Ryu later dismissed the community organizations in another email exchange with her legislative assistant on March 9th, and said, “It’s a community of 200-300 people max. They’ve been taking up too much of certain legislators (seems females only so far) like Sen. Kuderer and Rep. Walen.”

The power to pass ESB 5264 was firmly in the hands of House Speaker Laurie Jinkins of Tacoma. As Speaker of the House, she had the ultimate authority to determine if this bill received a vote, but she chose not to. Given Chinese Americans’ long history in this state, their large contributions, and their painful discriminated past, Washington State is long overdue for a Chinese American History Month.

The Chinese American community is holding Speaker Jinkins accountable. In 1885, Chinese immigrants were forcefully expelled from Tacoma. They lost their homes and possessions, and some even lost their lives along this terrible journey. The city later built Chinese Reconciliation Park to commemorate this dark history. Rep. Jinkins apparently did not learn from her city’s dark past. This billboard’s message is clear: “Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it. (by George Santayana)”

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Dear Superintendent Holm and LWSD board,

We filed the below discrimination complaint against LWSD on March 31. On May 2nd, Mr. Richard Patterson sent us his response on behalf of the district (see attached).  We are not satisfied with the response and are filing a formal appeal against Mr. Patterson’s decision.  

Ground of our appeal:

1) Mr. Patterson’s investigation was flawed. He stated that Director Sue Anne Sullivan sent us a letter on March 23rd. We never communicated with Ms. Sullivan on the matter, not to mention receiving any communication from her. We are now questioning how thorough Mr. Patterson’s investigation was. Did he conduct the investigation himself? Did he talk to people who initially complained about Mrs. Nicholson? Did he talk to parents who complained about  the school and district’s decision? 

2) Mr. Patterson denied our complaints about the district withholding information. Yet he failed to provide supporting evidence. On the other hand, we have evidence that parents’ requests for information were not met. In Superintendent Holm’s 3/1 email, he stated that“I have asked Associate Superintendent, Matt Gillingham, to review the situation and provide a response to your questions. Given the time to evaluate the situation, you can expect to hear from Mr. Gillingham early next week.” Yet, no one received the requested information from Mr. Gillingham. Several parents filed PRA requests, yet none received any requested information back. One PRA request was filed as early as 2/18. If the district did not withhold information from the Chinese American community, please show the proof.

3) Mr. Patterson claimed that for our community members to get information, they should submit PRA requests. Is there a written district policy supporting this practice? If not, what is the district’s proof that all other community members are treated the same way and are requested to submit PRA requests in order to obtain information from the district?  

4) Mr. Patterson denied our complaints about Chinese culture being singled out. However, he failed to answer why Mr. Eaton wearing a turban posing for photos was OK, why teachers wearing Hawaii Hula outfits waving goodbye to students was OK, yet Mrs. Nicholson wearing a Chinese traditional outfit while teaching Chinese tradition was not allowed? 

5) Mr. Patterson claimed that our demand for a public apology was not a proper remedy under 5010. We would like to ask the district to clarify if the district still considers Ms. Nicholson wearing a Chinese traditional outfit while teaching Chinese tradition “cultural appropriation” and if the district still thinks that Ms. Nicholson should apologize. If the district now thinks the Blackwell Chinese New Year incident should not be labelled as “cultural appropriation” and Ms. Nicholson’s apology was unwarranted, we can work with the district and school to seek a mutually agreeable solution to heal the community wound and move forward.

Regards,

WA Asians For Equality

LWSD’s response to the discrimination complaint:

The post Appeal to LWSD’s Response to Discrimination Complaint appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

Dear House Democrat Legislators,

This year, SB 5264, the Chinese American History Month bill, passed the Senate 48 to 0, and the House State Government and Tribal Relations committee unanimously. The Democrat-controlled House had the opportunity to do the right thing and pass this long-overdue bill. However, under Speaker Jinkins’ leadership, the House blocked this bill from getting a floor vote, effectively killing Chinese American History Month. The Chinese American community is deeply offended by this outcome. Many people of Chinese descent are asking why?

The expulsion and systematic murder of Chinese from many Washington cities, Tacoma among them, is a dark part of our history. Tacoma built a reconciliation park to begin to bring closure to this terrible period. The only way we can keep things like this from happening again is to teach and learn from them. Anti-Chinese sentiment and attacks in the last year show how current the need is to begin to address this major public policy issue.

It is deeply concerning that the opportunity to begin to address this historic racial injustice was not important enough to get a very brief floor vote, but the Pickleball bill was passed at the end of the session. Jinkins defended her decision to pass the Pickleball bill because there was no “question” about the bill. The reality is that, with only 260K people playing pickleball in all three West Coast states combined, most people, except the privileged few, are not aware of this sport.Think of how the relatives of those killed and forcibly removed from their homes feel about this newest injustice? Some of the most terrible and unspeakable things that happened to any racial group in the history of Washington State and on the West Coast happened to the Chinese.   

But here is what your leadership team had to say. 

On April 12th, this The Spokesman-Review article ( https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/apr/12/when-could-there-be-a-chinese-history-month-repeat/ ) revealed the reason behind the decision to block SB 5264. According to the article, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins claimed “the (Chinese American) history month bill (SB 5264) didn’t get a vote because majority Democrats had questions about assigning months to “sub-ethnic” groups. ” She also claimed, “it’s our caucus that makes the decisions about bills that they feel comfortable voting on. 

Since Speaker Jinkins claimed this to be a caucus decision, we want to remind all members of the House Democrats that just 3 years ago, in 2019, all House Democrats, Laurie Jinkins included, voted to pass SB 5864 and designate October as Filipino American History Month. Based on voting records, there are 44 current House Democrats who voted to establish Filipino American History Month.

If House Democrats had no “questions” about passing SB 5864 and designating a month for the Filipino “sub-ethnic” group, why do they now have “questions” about the same practice they ran in 2019? And to put things in further context, Chinese Americans are the largest Asian ethnic group in Washington. I want to challenge everyone to name another minority group that has had such a profound impact on Washington State’s development. Why do House Democrats have a double standard here? Racism against Chinese Americans is a long and deep chapter in our history, and sadly, we feel it is happening once again. 

I want to point out several other anti-Chinese comments by Speaker Jinkins:

1) Jinkins claimed that under the name of “equity”, you are unwilling to designate a month for Chinese Americans. Let me remind you that Washington State has January 13, as Korean American Day; February 19, as Japanese American Remembrance Day; and October as Filipino American History Month. Notice which Asian ethnic group is missing? Yes, the Chinese Americans.

2) Jinkins claimed that SB 5264 lacked broad support. Let me point out that among the similar bills, SB 5264 was the only one that CAPAA (state’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs) signed on to testify in support. Commissioner Kendall Kosai of CAPAA gave a powerful speech in support of Chinese American History Month. SB 5264 has the support of many of the state’s largest school districts and the Jewish community. Both “The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle” and “the JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle” support this bill. I would challenge Speaker Jinkins to show me this type of broad support for other similar bills.

3) Jinkins claimed that to get this bill passed, the Chinese American community needs to get approval from all other racial and ethnic groups in the state in advance. When the state legislature passed the Korean American Day; Filipino American History Month, they did not consult with the Chinese American community. The WA legislature has never had such a high bar for passing a bill. Why is Speaker Jinkins setting this unreasonable bar ONLY for Chinese American History Month?The Democrat-controlled House keeps changing the rules on Chinese American History Month, making it a never-ending task for Chinese Americans. And clearly, House Democrats are only doing this to Chinese Americans.

We believe that even though Speaker Jinkins claimed this to be a caucus decision, many of you may not share these same anti-Chinese values. I am hopeful that you will consider denouncing Speaker Jinkins’ anti-Chinese claims and her action to kill SB 5264. I also hope you will have a serious internal caucus discussion on this matter, and consider such racially exclusionary positions, and biases, intentional or not, against Chinese Americans.

Regards,

Linda
WA Asians For Equality

The post An Open Letter to All House Democrats – Laurie Jinkins’s decision to kill the Chinese American History Month Bill was wrong. appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

Dear Mr. Patterson,

Recently, we received reports from the Chinese American community about a Washington Civil Rights Act violation at LWSD. After trying to resolve this violation concern with LWSD without success, we are now following the steps listed on the OSPI site (https://www.k12.wa.us/policy-funding/equity-and-civil-rights/complaints-and-concerns-about-discrimination ) and filing a formal discrimination complaint against LWSD for violating the Washington Civil Rights Act.

RCW 49.60.400 (Washington Civil Rights Act) states:
“The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.” 

What happened at Blackwell Elementary School surrounding the incident of teaching Chinese culture and tradition during Chinese New Year clearly violated RCW 49.60.400. 

Background: 
On February 1st, the Chinese New Year, Mrs. Nicholson wore a Chinese gown to teach Chinese traditional culture to her class. According to the information we obtained, it was a very high-quality lesson. Mrs. Nicholson explained to her students that the outfit was gifted to her by a former student family. She talked about the student family and how she developed a relationship with them. The students watched Discovery Education videos about the Lunar New Year, then talked about Chinese tradition, talked about why things are red in Chinese culture, wrote numbers one to ten in Chinese, made Chinese lanterns, etc.  

The school and district leadership, none of whom are of Chinese heritage, not to mention having lived experience of Chinese culture, later claimed that Mrs. Nicholson’s act of wearing a Chinese gown while teaching Chinese traditional culture was “cultural appropriation” and offended the Chinese American community. Mrs. Nicholson was made to issue both a verbal and a written apology to her class on February 11th.  

Contrary to the school and district leadership’s false claim, “cultural appropriation” is a foreign concept to Chinese culture. Through its thousands of years’ development, Chinese culture has always been open and inclusive. Chinese culture actually welcomes people learning and experiencing their culture by wearing their traditional clothes, especially during the Chinese New Year. 

WA Asians For Equality website has more than 100 comments from the Chinese American community supporting Mrs. Nicholson wearing the Chinese gown while teaching Chinese traditional culture.  

More than 60 parents of the Chinese American students at Blackwell Elementary signed a letter supporting Mrs. Nicholson and requested the school and district issue an apology to Mrs. Nicholson and the Chinese American community.

We have identified the following violations of RCW 49.60.400:
1) Withholding information in an attempt to cover up discrimination against Chinese culture and the Chinese American community.
Evidence:
Many members of the Chinese American community have reached out to the school and district and requested detailed documentation on what has exactly happened since February 1st at Blackwell Elementary. None of them has received any documentation from the school or district.  Requests for clarification of the district’s standard policy and procedure were not answered either.  The school and district claimed that there were complaints against Mrs. Nicholson’s act, yet they were not able to provide sequenced details to back up their claim: When, where, and who complained? What were the exact complaints? How were the decisions made? Etc. The Chinese American community has not been treated fairly by the school and district. The school and district’s non-Chinese leadership made false claims about Chinese culture, damaged the reputation of Chinese culture, and threatened anyone who would want to experience Chinese culture, yet prohibited the Chinese American community from having equal access to the source of those false claims. 

2) Chinese culture was singled out and targeted, and the Chinese American community was made an example of. 
Evidence: 
1) Mrs. Nicholson wore the Chinese gown on the morning of February 1st. She spent most of the morning in the classroom teaching students about Chinese culture. It was a fully packed morning, and she was only in and out of the classroom very quickly.  In the afternoon, after Principal Eaton raised the concern with her, she changed back to her regular clothes. Given that not many people even had the chance to see what Mrs. Nicholson was wearing that day, and that she was cooperative after Principal Eaton talked to her, if the school’s goal was to address concerns, then anyone with common sense would agree that what Mrs. Nicholson did that afternoon timely and sufficiently addressed the concerns. Why did the school and district continue to make this an issue and make Mrs. Nicholson issue apologies to her class two weeks later? 
2) There are only two Chinese students in Mrs. Nicholson’s class. Neither the students nor their parents complained about Mrs. Nicholson wearing the Chinese gown that day. As a matter of fact, not one single student or parent from Mrs. Nicholson’s class complained about Mrs. Nicholson’s act that day. Why did the school and district make Mrs. Nicholson apologize to her class on February 11th?
3) According to many Blackwell Elementary parents, it is very common to see the school’s teachers and staff wear other cultures’ clothes. Last June, during the aloha parade, school teachers wore Hawaii Hula outfits when handing out goodie bags and waving goodbye to students on the last school day. Even Principal Eaton was caught wearing a turban while posing for a yearbook photo. No one was made to apologize in those incidents. Why was wearing a Chinese outfit for teaching purposes labeled as “cultural appropriation”, while wearing outfits from other cultures for fun or photo opportunities was acceptable?  Principal Eaton insisted that wearing a turban for a photo was acceptable, while wearing a Chinese outfit for teaching Chinese culture was not.

More than 48% of Blackwell Elementary’s students are Asian, and the majority of them are of Chinese heritage. Clearly, Chinese culture was singled out and targeted by the school and district.  They wanted to make an example out of the school’s largest minority student body. As a result, Chinese culture was portrayed as unwelcoming, and people are now scared away from even considering sharing or experiencing Chinese culture. The entire Chinese American community feels the chilling message: stay away from Chinese culture.

If the school and district truly cared about the feelings of the Chinese American community, and were truly interested in learning about Chinese culture, they would have consulted with the school’s large Chinese American community. The fact is that the school and district did not consult any members of the Chinese American student families before they made the false claim about Chinese culture. And the school even put up road blocks to prevent shocked Chinese American parents from finding out the facts afterwards.

The Chinese American community denounces the false portrayal of Chinese culture and strongly condemns the school and district for targeting Chinese culture and penalizing the Chinese American community for their own agenda. “Cultural appropriation” runs in direct contradiction with everything that Chinese culture represents and stands for.

What we demand:
1) The school and district should immediately release to the Chinese American community detailed documentation of the entire incident since February 1st. We request access to the same information that the school and district have. We request the names and contact information of every single one of those who claimed that Mrs. Nicholson’s act offended Chinese Americans and Chinese culture so that we can conduct a full interview with them;
2) The school and district should issue an open apology to Mrs. Nicholson and the Chinese American community for falsely portraying Chinese culture and for falsely labeling Mrs. Nicholson’s act and wrongfully making her apologize. The school and district should make it clear to everyone that Chinese culture is open and welcome. People are encouraged to live and experience Chinese culture. 

Regards,
WA Asians For Equality

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Not satisfied with principal Eaton’s “apology” letter, 62 parents from the Chinese American community at Blackwell Elementary sent LWSD a co-signed letter with their requests on March 21. Below is the full content of their letter.

Dear Principal Eaton,

We, members of the Blackwell Chinese community, are seeking redress regarding how you responded to Mrs. Nicholson wearing Chinese traditional clothing at Blackwell.

What happened in the classroom

On February 1^st, in recognition of the Chinese New Year, as you know Mrs. Nicholson introduced the holiday to her class while wearing a traditional Chinese gown and hat as part of her teaching materials. Mrs. Nicholson is well known to wear a variety of hats and costumes as part of her engaging and uniquely effective approaches to teaching. On this occasion she gave her students a wonderful lesson on Chinese tradition and culture in which she explained that the outfit was gifted to her by a former student family. She talked about that family and how she had developed a relationship with them. The students watched Discovery Education videos about the Chinese New Year and discussed Chinese traditions such the meaning of the color red. They wrote numbers from one to ten in Chinese, made Chinese lanterns, etc.  Mrs. Nicholson demonstrated and taught appreciation and respect for Chinese culture and the diversity our beloved neighborhood has to offer.    

The school’s response

Instead of praising Mrs. Nicholson’s culturally sensitive teaching and inclusive embracing of Chinese culture, you shortly thereafter determined to label her wearing of a Chinese gown while teaching Chinese culture as “cultural appropriation.” Citing a complaint of undisclosed origin, you apparently believed Mrs. Nicholson’s behavior would harm the Chinese community and caused her to believe she had committed an offence. You led her to apologize to the class and send a letter of apology recanting her behavior to parents of students in the class, none of whom complained. In all this, you did not consult with any members of the school’s Chinese American student families. It is hard to fathom what the children learned from this experience.

What it meant to the Chinese community

Had you involved us, the Chinese community, in your response, you would have learned that people of Chinese origin are open, inclusive, and proud of our culture, and as such are delighted when others celebrate it, whether through wearing our traditional clothing or in any similarly respectful manner, especially during the Chinese New Year. To us, Mrs. Nicholson’s wearing of this clothing and teaching were gestures of appreciation and inclusion to be welcomed. As done by a person of authority, such as a teacher, these gestures go even further in setting a positive example toward teaching children the importance of open mindedness and appreciation of diversity. Those of us who saw Mrs. Nicholson greeting students wearing a Chinese gown at Blackwell that day felt proud to see their school joining the celebration and valuing our traditions. Our hearts were warmed to learn how she had celebrated the Lunar New Year with her class including the wearing of these gifts from another Chinese family. We felt welcomed and included by this positive gesture of recognition of our tradition and celebration of the diverse culture of our community. We must assume that the family who gave her these gifts would have likewise wished her to feel completely free, as an American, to wear them in a public school. We felt reassured by Mrs. Nicholson’s cultural appreciation, all the more so in these difficult times in which hatred and violence toward Asians is increasingly evident.

On the contrary, we found the act of making Mrs. Nicholson apologize for this to be deeply disturbing and beyond our comprehension. Her letter sent a message opposite to what Mrs. Nicholson had conveyed in the classroom, effectively revealing a reprimand to those who show affinity to Chinese culture. While we can’t speak for other cultures and communities, this twisting of the definition of cultural appropriation to apply it to Chinese culture is baffling. It has been difficult to refrain from questioning the motive, having seen Blackwell teachers and staff wearing costumes or outfits of other cultures on many occasions. Even you, as the chief authority of the school, have worn a turban of another culture at a social function, as immortalized in the yearbook for all to see. In doing so we must assume that you had learned about, expressed appreciation for, and shared about the culture it represented, as did Mrs. Nicholson, or that it was for a teaching purpose, as it was for Mrs. Nicholson, and not merely for a photo op.  We in the Chinese heritage community at Blackwell assume only the best of intentions on the part of others when they celebrate others’ cultures. So receiving a letter effectively condemning this celebration of Chinese culture created for us not a feeling of belonging, inclusion, nor of being “protected,” but rather a feeling of stark alienation from the broader celebration of diverse cultures we have otherwise witnessed at Blackwell.

We moreover find it patronizing that others took it upon themselves to speak for and be offended on our behalf.  While we have heard that whatever person or persons complained about Mrs. Nicholson included an ”Asian American,” regardless of his/her background and heritage, whoever complained that this was “cultural appropriation” clearly has not lived nor truly understood Chinese culture. It is frankly stereotyping us as “minorities who must be offended,” and is a direct insult that the school took action against a teacher to protect our community without having heard the voices of the very community you supposedly intended to protect.  By excluding us from whatever conversation led to the apology you have effectively marginalized us.

Finally, we are confounded by the lack of transparency about the complaint and how the decision of the school was taken or how cultural appreciation got confused with cultural appropriation. What rule or policy did Mrs. Nicholson break to warrant such a public humiliation? If there is one, who was it designed to serve? Without understanding what happened, we are left to wonder and be afraid of whatever other actions of cultural suppression we and our children may be subjected to in the future.  Will our children be safe from persecution should they choose to wear Chinese clothing? What if they don’t “look Chinese” enough? Will Mrs. Nicholson feel compelled to further edit her collection of hats? 

How we can move forward, and what we expect to see from the school and district:

1. An immediate written apology to the Chinese community at Blackwell, acknowledging that Mrs. Nicholson’s behavior was appropriate, and her letter of apology unwarranted.  Come also to the classroom and explain to the children what was learned and why it was wrong to make Mrs. Nicholson apologize for it.  Make it clear the school fully supports such culturally appropriate expressions of appreciation as Mrs. Nicholson demonstrated. Rescind the previous judgement mislabeling Mrs. Nicholson’s clear actions of appreciation as appropriation. Recognize that it was insensitive to the Chinese community and wrong. Ensure teachers and students of all backgrounds, as our Chinese heritage children whether or not they “look the part,” are safe from harassment should they choose to embrace and respectfully display evidence of their cultural heritage through clothing or otherwise. Ensure culturally appropriate expressions of cultural appreciation are not suppressed, and no feelings of intolerance were given credence to fester by the school’s response.

2. Get to know Chinese culture and the Chinese community, one of the major ethnic groups in our district. We believe there is a lot more to be learned by engaging in dialog with other communities than by engaging in acts of imperious censorship or reprimands that effectively suppress the rare opportunities for learning about differences in minority cultures, cultural expression, and preferences of expression by those cultures. Educators and leaders charged with the responsibility of promoting diversity and inclusion should especially recognize the importance of understanding diverse cultures before jumping to potentially harmful conclusions counterproductive to DEI goals. Going forward, actively involve members of communities you serve before making judgements about how they might be offended or censoring respectful free expressions of culture by others.  

3. Have the district conduct a full and transparent investigation and report back to the community on what exactly happened (a time lined detail since 2/1) on how this happened, what principles or guidelines were applied, what process was followed, and who was consulted, so we can avoid such incidents in the future. Clarify school and district policies relating to cultural expression. What are the rules or guidelines by which teachers and students can celebrate culture and diversity?

4. Become familiar with, and educate staff about, the differences between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. Appropriation involves taking an aspect of a culture not one’s own without consent or any cultural context or relationship to the item or practice—solely for personal interest, such as to gain popularity. Appreciation and sharing a culture being celebrated by respectfully wearing clothes, when seen as desirable by the community being celebrated, is not appropriation.  

5. Mrs. Nicholson is an exemplary teacher in her approach to inclusiveness and teaching in general. Her educational methods are greatly valued to broaden every child’s horizon, enhance their interest in learning and promote friendship. Please find an appropriate way to honor her contributions, ensure her record reflects this, and that she is left feeling fully respected and appreciated for her unique style and contribution to learning, including about other cultures. Ensure she and other teachers at Blackwell feel completely free to continue their own unique and respectful styles of teaching so that our children continue to learn to appreciate other cultures and feel the sense of belonging and inclusiveness that we are confident the school and district are trying to inculcate.

Respectfully, Families of Blackwell Students of Chinese Heritage:

The post Blackwell Elementary Chinese American Community’s letter to LWSD appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.

From building the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Northern Pacific Rail Line, to digging the canals that connect Lake Union with Salmon Bay and Lake Washington, the work and contributions of Chinese Americans are everywhere. Washingtonians are enjoying the fruits of that work, yet not many are aware of their stories. The Washington Legislature established Japanese American Remembrance Day in 2003, Korean American Day in 2007, and Filipino American History Month in 2019. However, there is no designated time in Washington to recognize the contributions and hardships of Chinese Americans.

This year, Washington legislators were presented with ESB 5264, the Americans of Chinese Descent History Month bill. If passed, ESB 5264 would declare January as Americans of Chinese descent history month and encourage (not mandate) public schools to commemorate the lives, history, achievements, and contributions of Americans of Chinese descent.

The Senate quickly passed ESB 5264 by 48 to 0 in January. This gave the bill enough time to navigate through the House. After delays in the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee, it finally reached the House floor calendar on February 26. House Democratic Leadership had plenty of time and all the power to bring this bill out for an all-member vote. It would have easily run and passed in only a few minutes, yet the bill was blocked by leadership from having a vote. By contrast, House Democratic Leadership swiftly passed the pickleball bill, which had just reached the floor calendar on the cutoff day!

The power to pass ESB 5264 was firmly in the hands of House Speaker Laurie Jinkins from Tacoma. As Speaker of the House, she had the ultimate authority to determine if this bill received a vote. She chose to take the floor time to pass the pickleball bill but ignored the Americans of Chinese Descent History Month bill.

The Chinese American community is deeply insulted.  Chinese Americans’ 237 years of history seem to carry little weight in the eyes of the House Democratic Leadership compared to the pickleball bill. Our generations of contributions, discrimination, and sufferings are not worthy of recognition, but pickleball is? We see no concern or compassion from House Leadership or Speaker Jinkins. This has been going on for far too long.

I have been sending all Washington legislators a daily note about Chinese American history since January 10th. It is deeply saddening that the rich history of Americans of Chinese descent is once again ignored. This is even more deeply puzzling, considering House Speaker, Laurie Jinkins, is from Tacoma, a city with such a dark Chinese exclusion history. On November 3, 1885, Tacoma’s remaining 300 Chinese Americans were forcefully expelled from the town.  They lost their homes and possession, and some lost their lives along this terrible journey.     

On November 30, 1993, the Tacoma City Council adopted the milestone Resolution 32415, acknowledging that the 1885 Chinese expulsion was a most reprehensible occurrence. Now, on Tacoma’s beautiful Ruston Way waterfront, sits Chinese Reconciliation Park, a park dedicated to commemorating Tacoma’s terrible history of hatred, murder, and repression.  It expresses the city’s commitment to ending racism and hatred.  But unfortunately, the Democratic Leadership in our legislature has not learned from Tacoma’s dark past.

The Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs gave strong testimony supporting this bill at the House Public Hearing. Tacoma Public Schools, Seattle Public Schools, Bellevue School District, and Lake Washington School District all signed up to support this bill. Our schools were ready to embrace this bill. House Democratic Leadership failed the Chinese American community, failed our schools and our students. We deserve an answer and closure. There must be accountability.

The post Democrats should be held accountable for denying Chinese American History Month appeared first on WA Asians For Equality.