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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Youth Advocate from Asian American Student Advocacy Project
4:54:29
·
3 min
A high school junior and youth advocate testifies about the need for sustainable funding for restorative justice programs in schools to address bullying, particularly anti-Asian bullying. She shares her personal experiences of racial discrimination and isolation in middle school, emphasizing the importance of culturally competent staff and safe spaces for students.
- Calls for every school to have a restorative justice program and coordinator
- Proposes solutions including training school staff to recognize anti-Asian bullying and biases
- Advocates for intentional spaces for students to share experiences and feedback, emphasizing the need for student voices in the process
Hannah Era
4:54:29
Good morning.
4:54:30
First, I want to thank chair Joseph and the rest of the council for allowing me to speak here today.
4:54:35
My name is Hannah Era and I'm a high school junior in Quinn's.
4:54:39
I'm also a youth advocate with the Asian American Student Advocacy Project's anti bullying and harassment campaign.
4:54:45
ASAP is CACF's citywide youth leadership team.
4:54:49
To improve school culture and climate, every school should have a restorative justice program.
4:54:54
The fundings for restorative justice in schools must be sustainable, not to disappear after one year, but a long term investment to ensure that students are felt students feel belonged and safe in school.
4:55:07
In middle school, I didn't have any culturally restorative staff that I could turn to for support or just to talk to.
4:55:16
I was one of the very few AAPI students of color in my grade.
4:55:20
I was constantly mocked, called racial slurs, told my food smelled weird, and told that eating with my hands was gross.
4:55:27
I was even asked if I was related to that one kid from the virus, referring to a Chinese American student in my grade.
4:55:36
These comments weren't whispered.
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They were said aloud in hallways, in my classrooms, often in front of teachers and staff that did not care.
4:55:47
I felt invisible and ashamed.
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Eventually, I stopped going to the lunchroom altogether because I couldn't handle these comments and stares.
4:55:55
I began eating in the bathroom just to feel safe.
4:55:58
Over time, this isolation deeply affected my mental health.
4:56:03
Without staff that could actually understand my background, I was left to believe that this was normal, that staying silent was the only option.
4:56:12
And I'm not the only one that experiences these instances.
4:56:16
API students across the city face microaggression, bullying, and erasure.
4:56:21
Whether it's mocking our names, making racial slurs, stereotyping us, they may not always be violent, but they deeply impact our sense of identity in school.
4:56:32
I believe all student deserves to go to school feeling safe, being able to learn and thrive without fear, and feeling welcomed.
4:56:42
However, that is just not the case.
4:56:44
These hurtful and harmful comments and judgments from both students and teachers are rooted in misunderstanding and lack of knowledge of each other.
4:56:53
It is time for the city and schools to address these with solutions that center care, empathy, and growth.
4:56:58
I have seen what possible when students have the space to be heard and supported.
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We're asking the city to fully fund restorative justice program and ensure that every school has restorative justice coordinator.
4:57:11
Our campaign at ASAP also proposed proposed several solutions.
4:57:15
First, training school staff to recognize anti Asian bullying and biases.
4:57:21
Second, school must intentionally create space for students to share their experiences and feedbacks.
4:57:28
Our voices must be included in the process.
4:57:32
Healing and justice takes time, student deserve more than reactive discipline.
4:57:36
We deserve to be seen, valued, and cared for.
4:57:39
Thank you.