Anti-Racism Resources
A Message from Chancellor Meisha Porter
April 20, 2021
Dear Families,
Last year, a police officer put his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, but to me, it felt like an eternity.
I felt pain and rage, deep in my bones. It wasn’t a new feeling. I have felt that many times in my life, as a Black woman, sister, daughter, and mother to Black children—and as an educator who has served children of color in this city for more than 20 years.
That pain, rage, and fear has been present throughout the trial of the officer who killed George Floyd. I feel like I have been watching George Floyd die again and again, renewing the tragedy each time, as the jury and the nation have confronted what happened in the pursuit of justice for Mr. Floyd—and the family who is forced to go on without him.
And now, the first step toward justice has been served.
For me as a Black woman, for my brothers, for my mother and aunts who lost their brother to police violence, getting to justice is so important.
For our Black and brown children to know that they matter, the accountability this verdict represents is so important.
In a world that too often tells them otherwise, accountability in this moment tells the Black and brown children in our schools that their lives matter, and lifts up the importance of their futures.
This is what anchors the work we do in schools every day—why we are so focused on creating welcoming, loving environments for all our children. We want to make sure that each child doesn’t just hear, but feels that they are important. We want them to feel that their teachers and school community value their past and present experiences, as well as their dreams for the future.
For more than 20 years, I have experienced the sensitivity and wisdom of children—they know what’s going on, even those who may not be able to put it into words. They can feel the energy of the world around them. So we are making sure our schools are safe spaces for students to share their feelings. Every school is receiving resources to help facilitate open conversations and ensure our children have their questions heard.
We also have mental health support in place for our students, teachers and staff to help grapple with any feelings that emerge. Because while the individual who took George Floyd’s life will be held accountable, we recognize that systemic racism, and the violence it fuels, is still creating tragedy and inequality across our country every single day. We are all part of the work to undo this harm and reach true justice.
As you take care of yourselves and your loved ones the best you can, know that we are here in your corner, affirming the importance of our children’s future, each and every day. And that will never change.
In partnership,
Meisha Porter
New York City Schools Chancellor
George Floyd's Murder
NPR, Derek Chauvin Found Guilty Of George Floyd's Murder
Description: An informational article about the decision, case, and facts presented in the trial of Derek Chauvin. This resource will support lessons for students in grades 5-8.
Focus Questions for Derek Chauvin Found Guilty Of George Floyd's Murder:
Why was Derek Chauvin on trial? What was the decision in the case?
Discussion Questions:
- What were the charges against Derek Chauvin? What was the jury’s decision in the case?
- What was George Floyd’s brother's response to the decision in the trial of Derek Chauvin?
- Why does the article say that testimony in this case was remarkable?
- How does the journalist Laurel Wamsley characterize the arguments of the two sides in this case?
- How is this case related to events outside the courtroom?
George Floyd's Murder
Washington Post, Derek Chauvin’s Trial is not Justice for Black Americans
Description: In an op-ed written the day before the decision in the trial of Derek Chauvin, Peniel Joseph, the Barbara Jordan chair in ethics and political values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, argues that a guilty verdict will not provide a sense of justice alone. He makes the case that further work and activism is necessary to dismantle systemic racism. This resource can support lessons in 9-12 classrooms.
Focus Question for Derek Chauvin’s Trial is not Justice for Black Americans: Why does Peniel Joseph argue that a guilty verdict alone will not “feel like justice”?
Discussion Questions:
- Dr. Joseph states that, “Advances in Black citizenship and dignity often arise, when they come at all, from demands made outside formal legal and political settings.” What examples in history support this statement?
- What has the role of social and political protest been in advancing the rights of Black Americans?
- What does Dr. Joseph mean by the statement, “Progress flows more readily from outside the system in other aspects of democracy as well”? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- What needs to happen in the United States to reach “full Black citizenship and dignity, the twin goals of the civil rights movement”?
George Floyd
Representative John Lewis
Representative John Lewis
New York Times, John Lewis’ Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation
Description: Representative John Lewis, friend and mentee of Martin Luther King Jr., was a civil rights leader and congressman who died on July 17, 2020. He wrote this essay shortly before his death. There is also a recording of Morgan Freeman reading Representative Lewis’ last words. This essay can be used to help frame discussions for how we can collectively move forward and work together to dismantle structural inequalities.
Focus Question for Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation: How did John Lewis suggest we connect the activism of the past to our collective activism in the present as a way to dismantle racism?
DIscussion Questions:
- What did Rep. John Lewis mean when he wrote, “Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor”?
- What does Rep. Lewis mean by getting in “good trouble, necessary trouble”?
- How can you get in “good trouble”? What makes it necessary?
- What needs to be done for historians to “say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war”? To what extent is it possible? What can make it possible?
- How can we carry on the legacy of Rep. John Lewis?
Representative John Lewis
New York Times, John Lewis’ Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation
Description: Representative John Lewis, friend and mentee of Martin Luther King Jr., was a civil rights leader and congressman who died on July 17, 2020. He wrote this essay shortly before his death. There is also a recording of Morgan Freeman reading Representative Lewis’ last words. This essay can be used to help frame discussions for how we can collectively move forward and work together to dismantle structural inequalities.
Focus Question for Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation: How did John Lewis suggest we connect the activism of the past to our collective activism in the present as a way to dismantle racism?
DIscussion Questions:
- What did Rep. John Lewis mean when he wrote, “Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor”?
- What does Rep. Lewis mean by getting in “good trouble, necessary trouble”?
- How can you get in “good trouble”? What makes it necessary?
- What needs to be done for historians to “say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war”? To what extent is it possible? What can make it possible?
- How can we carry on the legacy of Rep. John Lewis?
Chancellor Meisha Porter Regarding Stopping Asian Hate
March 29, 2021
Dear Families,
This was my first week as your new Chancellor, and I couldn’t be more excited to take on this role. Not only because I am a New Yorker born and bred, but because education is in my blood. Both my mom and auntie were teachers and I became a New York City public school English teacher because of them, and the amazing educators I had as a student myself growing up in Queens.
Since I started at the DOE 21 years ago, I have also worked as an assistant principal, and then principal. More recently, I served our school communities as a superintendent and Bronx executive superintendent.
And now it is my honor and privilege to lead our schools citywide. I have spent much of this week seeing our brilliant students and educators from every borough in action, in-person and remotely. I saw pre-k students learn about the water cycle, joined sixth graders in learning ratios by mixing just the right ratio of food coloring into frosting, and joined seventh-graders in sharing special objects that reveal something about who we are. Despite all the changes and challenges we’ve faced this past year, our school communities are still joyful, vibrant places of learning.
As I reflect on this week’s visits, I am also heartened by the beautiful diversity of our classrooms, communities, and our City as a whole. In our schools, “respect for all” is not just a slogan, but a way of life. We value every student, staff member, and family for who they are. We ensure everyone feels welcomed. This is at our very core.
But the horrific anti-Asian hate crimes we’ve been seeing citywide and this week in Atlanta make it clear that we must work harder to end systemic racism. Justice and inclusivity have been pillars of my career as an educator. As Chancellor, I promise to continue to advance equity and dismantle any biases in our school system. And I want to make it clear: there is no room for racism or discrimination of any kind at the Department of Education or in any of our schools. Just this week, we provided our educators with updated resources to combat hate crimes in our schools and provide our students with social and emotional supports. You can find resources for discussing racism and hate crimes with your children at schools.nyc.gov/togetherforjustice.
Creating environments that encourage all students to be who they are will be on my mind on March 22, when all our public high schools will begin welcoming students back to in-person and blended learning. Like elementary and middle schools, as well as our District 75 programs, high schools will follow the strong practices we have established to help keep school communities healthy and safe. This includes weekly random testing of students and staff for COVID-19, physical distancing, masks, and nightly deep cleaning. In the meantime, I’m excited about this important milestone in the city’s recovery. And I’m proud to lead a school system that has set the standard for the nation in reopening efforts.
This is such a hopeful and historic time for our schools and our city, and I want to thank you for all you have done to support our students and schools. In the coming weeks, there will be opportunities for us to meet and talk. I promise to hear and include your voices as we finish out this school year and plan for the next.
Let’s go. Let’s do this. We’re ready.
Sincerely,
Meisha Porter
New York City Schools Chancellor
Child Mind Institute: Anti-AAPI Hate Crimes Resources
Following from the murders of Asian-Americans in Atlanta amid a nationwide escalation in violent hate crimes against the AAPI community, we are reminded once again that there is no justice and no antiracist movement without strong action in opposition to all forms of violence stemming from racism, white supremacy, and xenophobia.
Our team at the Child Mind Institute remains committed to providing community mental health support in the wake of these tragic events, and we also seek to amplify and actively participate in efforts by peer, partner, and community organizations to ensure the health and safety of all members of our community. The following comprise a list of resources our team has collected specifically in response to AAPI hate crimes.
Reporting AAPI hate crimes
Mental health support
- Asian Mental Health Collective
- National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
- Asian Mental Health Project
- AAPI Healer Network and Therapy Resource List
Resources
Donations
Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or your community.
Yours in partnership,
Fernando Lopez (he/him/his)
Project Coordinator
School and Community Programs
Child Mind Institute
646.625.4227
The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Glass Ceiling in STEM | 50 Free Anti-Racism and Mental Health Resources
Asian individuals represent the largest racial group of STEM professionals, however, a recent study on the San Francisco Bay Area’s tech sector found that they were the least likely to become managers and executives. Additionally, another study reveals that Asians encounter the same forms of bias experienced by other people of color. This statistic is revealing: the majority of diversity initiatives in STEM address the challenges faced by underrepresented minorities (URMs) — Black and Latinx people — but exclude Asian people.
View Mental Health and Self Care for Asian STEM Professionals
Explore resources for Asian STEM professionals and learners
Stop Antisemitism
NYTimes: U.S. Faces Outbreak of Anti-Semitic Threats and Violence
In the wake of clashes in Israel and Gaza, synagogues have been vandalized and Jews have been threatened and attacked.
Ruth Graham and
May 26, 2021
A brick shattering a window of a kosher pizzeria on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Jewish diners outside a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles attacked by men shouting anti-Semitic threats. Vandalism at synagogues in Arizona, Illinois and New York.
In Salt Lake City, a man scratched a swastika into the front door of an Orthodox synagogue in the early morning hours of May 16. “This was the kind of thing that would never happen in Salt Lake City,” said Rabbi Avremi Zippel, whose parents founded Chabad Lubavitch of Utah almost 30 years ago. “But it’s on the rise around the country.”
The synagogue has fortified its already substantial security measures in response. “It’s ridiculous, it’s insane that this is how we have to view houses of worship in the United States in 2021,” Rabbi Zippel said, describing fortified access points, visible guards and lighting and security camera systems. “But we will do it.”
The past several weeks have seen an outbreak of anti-Semitic threats and violence across the United States, stoking fear among Jews in small towns and major cities. During the two weeks of clashes in Israel and Gaza this month, the Anti-Defamation League collected 222 reports of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism and violence in the United States, compared with 127 over the previous two weeks.
Incidents are “literally happening from coast to coast, and spreading like wildfire,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the A.D.L.’s chief executive. “The sheer audacity of these attacks feels very different.”
Until the latest surge, anti-Semitic violence in recent years was largely considered a right-wing phenomenon, driven by a white supremacist movement emboldened by rhetoric from former President Donald J. Trump, who often trafficked in stereotypes.
Many of the most recent incidents, by contrast, have come from perpetrators expressing support for the Palestinian cause and criticism of Israel’s right-wing government.
“This is why Jews feel so terrified in this moment,” Mr. Greenblatt said, observing that there are currents of anti-Semitism flowing from both the left and the right. “For four years it seemed to be stimulated from the political right, with devastating consequences.” But at the scenes of the most recent attacks, he noted, “no one is wearing MAGA hats.”
President Biden has denounced the recent assaults as “despicable” and said “they must stop.” “It’s up to all of us to give hate no safe harbor,” he wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
The outbreak has been especially striking in the New York region, which is home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Last Thursday a brawl broke out in Times Square between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters, and it soon spread to the Diamond District, a part of Midtown that is home to many Jewish-owned businesses.
At least one roving group of men waving Palestinian flags shouted abuse at and shoved Jewish pedestrians and bystanders. Video of the scenes spread widely online and drew outrage from elected officials and a deep sense of foreboding among many Jewish New Yorkers.
The New York Police Department arrested 27 people, and two people were hospitalized, including a woman who was burned when fireworks were launched from a car at a group of people on the sidewalk.
The Police Department opened a hate crimes investigation into the beating of a Jewish man, and a Brooklyn man, Waseem Awawdeh, 23, was charged in connection with the attack.
The next day, federal prosecutors charged another man, Ali Alaheri, 29, with setting fire to a building that housed a synagogue and yeshiva in Borough Park, a Brooklyn neighborhood in the city’s Hasidic Jewish heartland. Mr. Alaheri also assaulted a Hasidic man in the same neighborhood, prosecutors said.
The Police Department’s hate crimes task force was also investigating anti-Semitic incidents that took place last Thursday and Saturday, including an assault in Manhattan and aggravated harassment in Brooklyn.
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, an Orthodox Jewish writer on the Upper East Side, said she had encountered a palpable anxiety among congregants at Park East Synagogue, where her husband serves as a rabbi.
“Quite a few” synagogue members had in recent months asked for help planning a move to Israel, she said, and she secured Swiss passports for her own children after watching a presidential debate in October.
“I know this sounds crazy because on the Upper East Side there was always this feeling that you can’t get safer than here,” she said.
But her fears are not unfounded. Last year, while out in the neighborhood with their young son, her husband was accosted by a man “shouting obscenities, and ‘You Jews! You Jews!’” she said.
Her son still “talks about it all the time,” she said. Recently, he built a synagogue out of Lego blocks and added a Lego security patrol outside, she said. He is 5 years old.
“Nobody cares about things like this because it is just words,” she added. “But what if this person was armed? And what if the next person is armed?”
The recent spike is occurring on top of a longer-term trend of high-profile incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States.
In Charlottesville, activists at the Unite the Right rally in 2017 chanted “Jews will not replace us!” as they protested the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. The next year, a gunman killed 11 people and wounded six who had gathered for Shabbat morning services at the Tree of Life — Or L’Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh. At a synagogue in a suburb of San Diego in 2019, a gunman opened fire at a service on the last day of Passover.
The A.D.L. has been tracking anti-Semitic incidents in the country since 1979, and its past three annual reports have included two of its highest tallies. The organization recorded more than 1,200 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment last year, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.
The number of confirmed anti-Semitic incidents in New York City jumped noticeably in March to 15, from nine the month before and three in January, according to the Police Department.
Sgt. Jessica McRorie, a department spokeswoman, said that as of Sunday there had been 80 anti-Semitic hate crime complaints this year, compared with 62 during the same period last year.
The attack in 2018 at Tree of Life, in the distinctly Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, was galvanizing for many Jewish leaders. “Every synagogue across the country has increased security since the attack in Pittsburgh,” said Rabbi Adam Starr, who heads Congregation Ohr HaTorah, one of several synagogues along a stretch of road in the Jewish neighborhood of Toco Hills in the Atlanta area.
“You look across the street from our synagogue and there’s a big church,” he said. “And the big difference between the church and the synagogue is the church doesn’t have a gate around it.”
Rabbi Starr has stepped up security again within the last two weeks, increasing the number of off-duty police officers on site during Shabbat morning services.
For some Jews, the last few weeks have accelerated a sense of unease that has been percolating for years.
“We’ve all read about what Jewish life was like in Europe before the Holocaust,” said Danny Groner, a member of an Orthodox synagogue in the Bronx. “There’s always this question: Why didn’t they leave? The conversation in my circles is, are we at that point right now?”
Mr. Groner does not think so, he was quick to say. But he wonders, “What would have to happen tomorrow or next week or next month to say ‘enough is enough’?”
Jews and others were particularly stung by comments by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has spent the past week repeatedly comparing mask and vaccine mandatesto the treatment of Jews by Nazi Germany, and by the Republican leadership’s slow response to her remarks.
In Salt Lake City, Chabad Lubavitch hosted an event for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot less than 12 hours after the discovery of the swastika on its front door. Rabbi Zippel told his congregation, “I hope it annoys the heck out of whoever did this.”
He was proud, he reflected later, of the way his congregation responded to the defacing of its house of worship. “We do not cower to these sorts of acts,” he said, recalling emails and conversations in which congregants vowed to continue wearing the kipa in public, for example. “The outward desire to be publicly and proudly Jewish has been extremely inspiring.”
An earlier version of this article misstated the date of a brawl between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters in Times Square. It was last Thursday, not Friday.
Ruth Graham is a national correspondent covering religion, faith and values. She previously reported on religion for Slate. @publicroad
Liam Stack is a religion correspondent on the Metro desk, covering New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He was previously a political reporter based in New York and a Middle East correspondent based in Cairo. @liamstack
