On April 10th, students Lawrence Tang ’22 and Alex Lo ’23 presented a video on the Asian Hate and Anti-Asian Bias present in America today. In their video, the two students focused on their individual and family experiences with Asian hate. As Lawrence mentioned, “When COVID first started rising, I remember talking to an adult about the virus, and I remember how he repeatedly kept using the word ‘Asian’ virus. Things like this are not ok.” Alex added that, “With the onset of anti-Asian Hate, my grandparents are fearful for their lives to leave their home. My parents have to bring them groceries and common goods because they are too scared to leave their homes. This poses the question, is this a humane way to live?”
After Lawrence and Alex’s speech, advisor groups were presented with a group of videos and discussion questions. Lawrence explained about the purpose of the discussion, “What we hope to get out of this is simply talking about anti-asian bias and hate crimes and gaining more recognition. Conquering Asian hate is a large mountain and we are just at the beginning.” Furthermore, Alex added on, “Tackling the issue can start small. We all can take part in this effort as long as everyone understands the issue and decides to be mindful of those around them.”
Furthermore, there has been the addition of a new club called Asian-Students Club. In this club, headed by Lawrence and Alex, Asian students come together and discuss issues and their experiences overall at Belmont Hill. The club creates a safe environment for Asian students at Belmont Hill, and has met several times this year. Overall, the talks about Asian Hate have been trending in the right direction, with more to come this year and next year.
