Statement from AATJ’s Officers
(July 8, 2022) Statement on the Death of Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe
安倍晋三元総理大臣の突然の訃報に、驚きと悲しみを深くしております。また、日本でも銃撃事件が起こったことに大きな衝撃を受けております。 安倍元総理大臣には米国における日本語教育の振興と発展に多大なるお力添えを賜りましたことに感謝を申し上げますとともに、ここに心より哀悼の意を表します。
We are shocked and saddened by the news of the shooting death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. We are deeply stunned by the gun violence even in Japan. We would like to express our sincere condolences and gratitude to Mr. Abe for his generous support in promoting and developing Japanese language education in the United States.
(March 4, 2021) The American Association of Teachers of Japanese unequivocally rejects racism, hate, misogyny, and xenophobia. As world language educators in the United States, our members work to promote communication and understanding of world cultures, especially those of Japan and the rest of Asia. That mission has never been more important than now.
Starting in 2020, Anti-Asian racism in the United States has been amplified and encouraged by the scapegoating of China for the Covid-19 pandemic by certain media outlets and government leaders, including the former president. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at CSU San Bernardino reported that hate crimes in the U.S. declined overall by 7% in 2020, but anti-Asian hate crimes increased by a shocking 149%. The horrific killings in Atlanta of eight people, including six Asian women, came at the end of a year of 3,800 attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders documented by Stop AAPI Hate. In February 2021, one of AATJ’s own members, a Japanese teacher in Seattle, was viciously attacked. As alarming as these numbers are, they are likely much higher, as hate crimes tend to be underreported, particularly by the AAPI community.
For AATJ, the increase in anti-Asian incidents is deeply personal and has shaken us all. Our community includes many teachers of Asian descent, and these attacks have caused us to fear for the safety of our families, our AAPI students, and ourselves.
If you are a target of anti-Asian bias or hate, you can report incidents to Stop AAPI Hate and the page for Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stand Against Hatred. The Stop AAPI Hate site allows submissions in multiple languages, including Japanese. Additionally, Asian Americans Advancing Justice has also partnered with Hollaback! to provide free training in bystander intervention and identification and de-escalation of anti-Asian harassment incidents. If you need assistance contacting any of these organizations, you can also reach out to AATJ for help.
As Japanese language educators and private citizens, we believe that there is no place for prejudice and hate in the United States. AATJ pledges to continue the work of fostering cultural understanding, equity, diversity, and inclusivity in order to make a better world for everyone.
We are listing here a few helpful resources on the topic of addressing anti-AAPI racism:
1. **NEW** “Resources and Strategies for Teaching about Asian America and Responding to Anti-Asian Racism”: A Toolkit for K-12 Teachers compiled in April 2021 for the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia
2. Coronavirus and Racism: Asian Americans in the Crossfire – An episode of Asia Matters podcast
3. Readings on the history of anti-Asian racism and how to be an anti-racist ally compiled by Jennifer Ho, University of Colorado at Boulder
4. Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
5. NPR articles about the rise in attacks on Asian Americans
6. Resources from Learning for Justice for Addressing Anti-Asian Bias
7. ACTFL resources addressing social justice
AATJ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Taskforce
The purpose of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force is to explore ways to improve AATJ’s current practices with the goal of enhancing its capacity to address issues concerning diversity and inclusion within the association/profession, in the classroom, and in the society in general.
The members of the Task Force have been named:
Clayton Frederick (Everett Alvarez High School, CA)
Janet Ikeda (Washington and Lee University, VA)
Hiroaki Kawamura (University of Findlay, OH)
Laura Moy (Eastview High School, MN)
Kimiko Suzuki (Haverford College, PA)
Jae Takeuchi (Clemson University, SC)
Suwako Watanabe (Portland State University, OR), Chair
Marcus Williams (New Heights Academy Charter School, NY)
The Task Force members have developed a plan for their work, and are holding Town Hall in June to get feedback from members. By August they hope to finalize recommendations and an implementation plan.
Statement from AATJ’s Officers, June 3, 2020
AATJ strongly condemns racism and police brutality against the Black community and other communities of color in the United States, including Asian Americans. We stand with our fellow world language educators and endorse the statement issued on June 2 by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages):
https://www.actfl.org/news/press-releases/actfl-statement-the-killing-george-floyd-and-systemic-racism-the-us
Resources for Teaching That Promotes Social Justice, Undermines Racism, and Advances Diversity
ACTFL
Resources for Language Educators That Address Issues of Race, Diversity, and Social Justice. This list of resources includes a free copy of the recently released 2nd edition of the publication “Words and Actions: Teaching Languages Through the Lens of Social Justice” (free to both ACTFL members and non-membrs until the end of August 2020), as well as recordings of recent webinars on social justice and diversity.
EDUTOPIA (George Lucas Educational Foundation)
A Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center, US Department of Education)
Social Justice in the Language Classroom – A Call to Action
