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Illinois Realtor says she was told to ‘go back to your country’ at Springfield hardware store
Tiffani Jackson | State Journal-Register
01/22/2022
While many honored the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and called for racial healing on Monday, one Springfield woman said she endured a shopping experience that puts a spotlight on anti-Asian racism.
Xuna Hu, a 31-year-old realtor and Chinese immigrant, said as she was shopping at the Lowe’s on Wabash Avenue and picked up two fire pits with the intent to buy them. Realizing they were too heavy, she put them down and stood by while calling her father to help her load them in a cart, but while waiting, said she was harassed.
“A lady came over with her daughter, a Lowe’s employee, while pointing to the fire pits and said to me ‘Hey I want one of those,’” Hu recounted. “I said, ma’am, I’m taking both, I’m just waiting for my dad to come over so he can help me load my cart and pay for it. She then said ‘Well have you already paid?’ I said ‘no, not yet,’ so she said ‘Well I’m taking one from you.’
At that point, Hu said, she decided to offer the woman one of the fire pits.
“I was like all right, I’ll just give you one then,” Hu said, but the woman responded that since Hu hadn’t paid for the fire pits she could take one because ‘this is how it works here.’
This is what happened today on Jan 17th, 2022 on Martin Luther King Day. In lowe’s at 3101 Wabash Ave, Springfield, IL 62704. I was buying two fire pits. It was so heavy and I am sitting on it, waiting for my dad walk to me to help move to the cart. One lady came with one lowe’s worker said: ”I want one of this!” I said: ”Oh sorry, I am taking both. I am just waiting for my dad to help me load it.“ She said: ”Did you pay for it?” I said：”Not yet I am waiting for help load, so that I can pay for it.” She said : “Then I am going to take one from you.” I said: “Alright I will give you one.” Then she took one said: “This is how it works here. You haven’t pay for it ! I can take from you. My daughter works here.” (The worker who helped her took one from my hand, it’s her daughter) I said: “Hold on, it’s not suppose to be like that. I was being nice and let you have one.” Lady said: “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY!” I told her: “Say that again, I am going to record you for being racist. You need to apologize to me!” The whole time, Lowe’s staff named “David” is trying to protect the lady who is being racist. He told me that only if I deleted the video, he will help me resolve this issue. David then accuses me, saying that me recording the video with my phone is threatening people in the store.— at Lowe’s Home Improvement (3101 West Wabash, Springfield, IL).
After more words, Hu said the woman, who was not identified, yelled “‘go back to your country.'”
Hu said she took out her cellphone and began recording after the exchange. In the video posted to Tik Tok and Facebook that has since gone viral, Hu confronts the woman at a register and asks for an apology for which the woman declined.
An unidentified Lowe’s employee becomes involved when he saw that Hu was recording and asked her to delete the video. Hu refused.
“In this situation, if I say something with my mouth it’s not gonna be stronger evidence than having a video. No matter how much I say, they don’t have to believe me but if I have proof through the video they can’t deny it at all,” Hu said.
As the conversation between Hu and the Lowe’s worker continued, the woman who shouted at Hu left the store. Hu said the worker then demanded she move on and not make the situation bigger than necessary,
“They said ‘Hey she left, there’s no point in talking to us about it anymore, just pay your money and leave.’ Hu said. During that moment she said she felt helpless.
“I thought the staff came toward me to help me with the situation but … I didn’t get any help. It was pretty sad.”
According to Hu, Illinois Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, saw the viral video and started a petition on Change.org that urged Lowe’s to issue an apology to Hu and require racial sensitivity training for employees. As of Jan. 22, Mah’s petition had over 8,000 signatures.
In a statement two days after the incident, Lowe’s spokesperson Steve Salazar said the company was “appalled to hear about this experience. At Lowe’s, discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. We spoke to Ms. Hu and apologized, letting her know we are taking swift action to address the matter. Our intent is to always ensure customers feel valued, respected and welcome. We are committed to creating a safe and open environment for all customers.”
The Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network also helped to circulate the petition.
“We were saddened to hear that this had happened because we know how damaging racism and xenophobia is, and we know how these incidents impact whole communities,” a network statement said. “Unfortunately, we were not surprised. Incidents of hate, and particularly anti-Asian hate, have been on the rise across the country and we have seen other anti-immigrant sentiments here already.”
Veronica Espina, the network’s founder said it was Hu’s right to record the situation. Instead of putting the victim of the attack on trial, employees should have stood up for her.
“It has become necessary for persons of color and the targets of this kind of treatment to have a record of what happens to them, to protect themselves. The reality is that without some record, reports of their experiences are often discounted or ignored and It results in further marginalization and victimization.”
Hu said before the incident she had never experienced racism so bluntly.
“When she said that to me I thought ‘Oh my God, the things I see on the news are actually happening to me right now. What do I do?’ I thought ‘I can’t just let this go because if I keep my mouth shut that means I’m giving her permission to say that to me and if she said it to me she will say it to my kids and anyone else who looks like me.”
Hu said her family and friends were not surprised by what happened and told her they frequently experienced similar treatment but often couldn’t respond because of the language barrier.
“That made me really sad to hear because due to the language barrier we have to deal with racism this way. So when this happened to me I was standing up not only for myself but for the people who can’t fight back because they don’t know how,” she said.
Espina said Hu’s video brought attention to a problem faced by communities of color and should serve as a teaching moment.
“ All of us in the community have a role in opposing and preventing these kinds of incidents, and videos like this are instructive to understand the kind of treatment she and others have too often received, and the responses they get when they try to stand up for themselves.”
Espina said the incident highlights the necessity of the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network.
“Springfield, unfortunately, was identified a few years ago as one of the most segregated cities in America. Incidents like this serve as important reminders for why SIAN and many others worked to pass a Welcoming City resolution for the city of Springfield – a resolution that simply states that immigrants are both welcome and already an important part of our community,” she said. “This would be an important time for the Springfield City Council to pass the resolution and send a message of goodwill.”
Chinese woman told by Lowe’s customer to go back to her country is scolded by store employee for filming
Editorial Staff | Yahoo
01/21/2022
A Lowe’s in Illinois has come under fire after a Chinese woman and Springfield resident claims another customer told her to go back to her country.
Xuna Hu says she was shopping for two fire pits when the other customer tried to get Hu to hand over one of the pits, leading up to the alleged racist encounter at a Lowe’s branch on Wabash Avenue on Jan. 17.
“I was like alright, I’ll just give you one then,” Hu told WICS Channel 20. “She went, ‘This is how it works here.’ So, I was like, ‘OK ma’am, if I give you one it’s because I’m trying to be nice, it’s not how it works here. And then she was like ‘Go back to your country.’ Loud. In the store.”
In a video posted to Facebook, Hu approaches a cash register to demand an apology from the unidentified customer, who replies: “No, I said go back to where that is the way it works.”
A Lowe’s employee tells Hu to stop recording and delete the video, but Hu stands her ground.
Jan 19, 2022
“You’re making a much bigger thing with your phone out right now than it needs to be,” the Lowe’s employee tells Hu. “You’re being combative, you’re being hostile. So right now you are the threatening one in this situation.”
A Lowe’s spokesperson said in a statement: “We were appalled to hear about this experience. At Lowe’s, discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. We spoke to Ms. Hu and apologized, letting her know we are taking swift action to address the matter. Our intent is to always ensure customers feel valued, respected and welcome. We are committed to creating a safe and open environment for all customers.”
State Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago) created a Change.org petition to demand the company apologize to Hu and “require racial sensitivity training for [their] employees.”
“I put it together to help Ms. Hu get a wider audience and to engage more people in the effort to get Lowe’s to respond,” Mah told WICS. “As one of five Asian American state legislators who spend a good amount of time in Springfield, we have a responsibility to represent Asian Americans beyond the districts we represent. It’s important to shine a spotlight on anti-Asian racism, and do what we can to bring awareness and justice. This is not the only incident I have heard about involving anti-Asian racism at that particular Lowe’s, so the demand for racial sensitivity training for their employees is an important response we’d like to see.”
Hu hopes her encounter raises awareness about anti-Asian hate.
“I have two little babies,” she said. “When they grow up, they’re going to face the same issues I did. I’m standing for not only myself anymore. I’m standing for all the Asian people who are facing or have experienced the same thing with me.”
State lawmaker calls for change after alleged racist comments made at Springfield Lowe’s
By Jakob Emerson
01/21/2022
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — An Illinois state lawmaker is calling out a Springfield Lowe’s after an alleged racist encounter this week between two customers.
On Monday, Jan 17, Xuna Hu, a Chinese immigrant and Springfield resident, said she was shopping at the Lowe’s store on Wabash Avenue when a woman told her to go back to her country.
Hu says she was trying to buy two fire pits. She says she was waiting for family to help lift the heavy products when another store customer began to verbally attack her with racist remarks after Hu wouldn’t give her one of the fire pits.
“I was like alright, I’ll just give you one then. She went, ‘This is how it works here.’ So, I was like, ‘Okay ma’am, if I give you one it’s because I’m trying to be nice, it’s not how it works here,’” Hu said. “And then she was like ‘Go back to your country.’ Loud. In the store.”
An online video from Hu reportedly shows what happened right after the alleged incident.
Hu had walked to the store’s registers and confronted the customer who made the comment. Hu is shown asking for an apology from the customer while two Lowe’s employees stand nearby.
The unidentified customer then responded to Hu in the video: “No, I said go back to where that is the way it works.”
Hu continued filming while asking a Lowe’s employee for an apology from the other customer. The employee asks Hu to delete the video and to stop filming. After Hu declines, the employee says he cannot help her at this time.
“You’re making a much bigger thing with your phone out right now than it needs to be,” the Lowe’s employee said. “You’re being combative, you’re being hostile. So right now you are the threatening one in this situation.”
Hu’s video ends with no resolution to the situation inside the store.
After seeing Hu’s video on Facebook., State Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, says she decided to put together an online petition to demand action from Lowe’s.
In a text, Mah said: “I put it together to help Ms. Hu get a wider audience and to engage more people in the effort to get Lowe’s to respond. As one of five Asian American state legislators who spend a good amount of time in Springfield, we have a responsibility to represent Asian Americans beyond the districts we represent. It’s important to shine a spotlight on anti-Asian racism, and do what we can to bring awareness and justice. This is not the only incident I have heard about involving anti-Asian racism at that particular Lowe’s, so the demand for racial sensitivity training for their employees is an important response we’d like to see.”
As of Wednesday, Jan. 19, Mah’s petition currently has over 2,200 signatures.
For Hu, she says she doesn’t care anymore about the fire pits or an apology from the other customer. She wants to remind the public that this is a nation of immigrants, and she hopes the community will be supportive in helping to end anti-Asian hate.
“I have two little babies. When they grow up, they’re going to face the same issues I did,” Hu said. “I’m standing for not only myself anymore. I’m standing for all the Asian people who are facing or have experienced the same thing with me.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Lowe’s said:
“We were appalled to hear about this experience. At Lowe’s, discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. We spoke to Ms. Hu and apologized, letting her know we are taking swift action to address the matter. Our intent is to always ensure customers feel valued, respected and welcome. We are committed to creating a safe and open environment for all customers.”
Urge Lowe’s to Apologize for Racist Bullying
https://www.change.org/p/lowe-s-urge-lowe-s-to-apologize-for-racial-bullying-of-a-customer
Theresa Mah started this petition to Lowe’s and Springfield Illinois Lowe’s
On Martin Luther King Day, January 17, 2022, Xuna Hu, a Springfield resident, was shopping at the Lowe’s at 3101 Wabash Avenue in Springfield, Illinois, when she was racially harassed by a customer whose daughter Jennifer works at the store. She was told, “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY” after the woman hostilely took one of the two firepits from her that she was planning to purchase, and when Xuna followed her to the checkout station with her cellphone camera on to demand an apology, another employee, David, blocked access to Jennifer and her mother, dismissed her request, and repeatedly demanded that she stop recording and erase her video. David kept demanding that Xuna erase the video because he claimed that she “was making [the incident] something bigger than it was.”
However, Lowe’s should know that for an Asian American to be told to “Go back to your country,” is to experience an unfortunately too common example of anti-Asian hate and racism. Asian Americans have been in the US for more than 175 years and those of us who live here have every right to call it home. The United States is our country too, so for someone who sees an Asian face and says “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY,” they are assuming foreignness and expressing their belief that we do not belong in this country as much as a white person does, and that is just plain wrong. That’s blatantly racist and wrong.
We demand that Lowe’s acknowledge that their employees were wrong to stand by and allow this racial bullying and harassment to take place and repeatedly deny that anything wrong had happened. We further demand that Lowe’s require racial sensitivity training for their employees so that they treat all customers, regardless of racial background, with respect and dignity at their stores. Ms. Hu simply wanted to shop in peace at your store and was reserving two firepits while her father went to get a cart to take them to checkout. When the offending customer went up to her to demand that she give up one of the firepits, simply because she had not yet paid for them, your employees could have taken the opportunity to find another firepit for the other customer to purchase. You could have sold three firepits instead of two and supported racial equity on Martin Luther King Day. Instead, your employees defended a racist bully and allowed her to have her way, while an Asian American customer was deprived of dignity and respect, treated like she did not matter and as if she did not deserve to spend her hard-earned money like everyone else at your store, and that for her to be racially harassed and told to “Go back to your country” was an acceptable experience for Asian Americans to have at Lowe’s. The video and Ms. Hu’s account of what happened to her can be found on her Facebook page. We, the undersigned, urge Lowe’s to do the right thing. Issue an apology to Xuna Hu and require racial sensitivity training for your employees.
https://www.change.org/p/lowe-s-urge-lowe-s-to-apologize-for-racial-bullying-of-a-customer
7,522 have signed. (1:18AM, 01/21/2022)
Lowe’s 终于道歉 华女购物遭歧视 3600人签署力挺
世界新闻网
01/20/2022
由本报率先报导的家用品连锁Lowe’s伊州春田市店歧视华裔顾客Xuna Hu事件，引起广大关注，在华裔州众议员马静仪与3600多位民众签署声援下，Lowe’s公司区域经理麦卡提(Lisa Mccarty)已经致电Xuna表达歉意，她承诺将加强员工对于敏感族裔议题的培训，且会对相关处置不当员工予以惩处，该店并将禁止说出「滚回你的国家」的白人妇女再度入店消费。
Xuna表示，非常感谢大家对她的支持，她说，原本她也可能会跟一些人一样，考虑很多而在此事件上保持沉默，「但我有两个小宝宝，我不希望明明在这里出生长大的孩子，以后面临一样的情况」，她选择站出来是希望能够提醒公众，美国是一个移民国家，是时候该结束对亚裔的仇恨了。
主动致电Xuna的麦卡提说，她看到事件当天的影片后，感到非常震惊，也对当事人Xuna深表歉意，她提到自己也曾经历过类似的种族人身攻击，很理解Xuna的感受，她在电话中承诺，一定会加强员工对于族裔敏感议题的训练，之后也会发出声明，禁止发出歧视言论的白人妇女顾客进入Lowe’s店，其他相关员工也会做出惩处。
稍后该公司也发生声明称，「听到这一经历，我们感到震惊，在Lowe’s，任何形式的歧视都是不可接受的，我们正在与Hu女士进行交谈并向她道歉，让她知道我们正在迅速采取行动解决此事，我们的宗旨是始终确保顾客受到重视、尊重与被欢迎，公司一直致力于为所有顾客创造安全、开放的环境」。
Xuna Hu在民权领袖马丁路德‧金恩纪念日当天，到Lowe’s(3101 Wabash Ave.)店购买火盆，遇到白人妇女问，「你两个都要？你结帐了没？」Xuna回答她两个都要买，但还未付钱，正等家人来帮忙搬上购物车，该妇女说，「还没结帐就不算你的，我要拿走一个」。
Xuna客气让出其中一个火盆给她，没想到不但未获道谢，反而告诉Xuna，「你要知道这就是美国法律，否则你滚回你的国家去」。
Xuna当场要求对方道歉遭拒，她随后跟著白人母女到结帐台，并与在场的另一名白人男员工说明情形，该名男员工明显忽视白人妇女的歧视言论，只是不断要求Xuna必须立刻删除手机影片，称「 其录像行为已经威胁到他与全店的安全」。
Jan 19, 2022
An Asian woman shared this story on Facebook where she was told to “go back to her country” and was gaslighted and told to delete this video. These employees in #Lowes needs to be fired SMH.
👉 From Xuna HU: This is what happened today on Jan 17th, 2022 on Martin Luther King Day. In lowe’s at 3101 Wabash Ave, #Springfield, IL 62704.
I was buying two fire pits. It was so heavy and I am sitting on it, waiting for my dad walk to me to help move to the cart. One lady came with one lowe’s worker said: ”I want one of this!”
I said: ”Oh sorry, I am taking both. I am just waiting for my dad to help me load it.“
She said: ”Did you pay for it?”
I said: “Not yet I am waiting for help load, so that I can pay for it.”
She said : “Then I am going to take one from you.”
I said: “Alright I will give you one.”
Then she took one said: “This is how it works here. You haven’t pay for it ! I can take from you. My daughter works here.” (The worker who helped her took one from my hand, it’s her daughter)
I said: “Hold on, it’s not suppose to be like that. I was being nice and let you have one.” Lady said: “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY!”
I told her: “Say that again, I am going to record you for being racist. You need to apologize to me!”
The whole time, Lowe’s staff named “David” is trying to protect the lady who is being racist.
He told me that only if I deleted the video, he will help me resolve this issue. David then accuses me, saying that me recording the video with my phone is threatening people in the store.
马静仪说，事件后她发起要求Lowe’s道歉签署行动，至少有两位友人提到曾在同一店内经历族裔歧视，其中一名在伊州国会参议员德宾办公室任职的海克勒(Stacie Barton Hackler) 说，去年2月12日与丈夫(不同族裔)前往该店选购厨房柜台、橱柜，当时该区只有他们一对夫妇，然而两人等了约30分钟，才获得值班店员Robert首肯接待，「我们告诉店员，我们已经知道要买哪些橱柜，也量好了尺寸，希望他可以提供估价」。
然而Robert接着却告诉他们他很忙，而且快下班了，还要求海克勒应该通过电子邮件先预约，同时抱怨海克勒夫妇没有提供尺寸，海克勒说，糟糕的客户服务让他们非常沮丧，接下来发生的事情，却更使他们震惊。
海克勒说，这名店员以各种理由拒绝为他们服务，但他一转身却用截然不同的态度，接待一对白人夫妇，「我听见该对夫妇请Robert估算他们的橱柜价格，该店员立即很客气请他们坐下，并当场为他们估价」，海克勒说，对不同肤色的顾客提供差别巨大的服务，「只有用种族歧视才能解释其行为」。
另一名住在春田市的韩裔妇女，也向马静仪致电提到在同一家店因为族裔受到不公平对待。
Why not lottery admissions for great high schools? It’s not church bingo.
Struggling for fairness at two famous schools, Jefferson and Lowell.
By Jay Mathews
01/18/2022
Judging from heavy participation in the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, many Americans love lotteries. But when such randomized selection systems have been used lately to decide who gets into popular high schools, they have inspired bitter debates and lawsuits.
Among the most controversial proposed lottery admissions systems have been the ones for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Va., and Lowell High School in San Francisco.
The debate over such systems is often confusing and misleading. Frequently overlooked is the fact that many long-used admissions processes, particularly in our most revered colleges, also are quite random but don’t get as many complaints, in part because the schools involved are considered national treasures.
Jefferson High was built in 1965 and became a magnet school admitting students on academic merit in 1985. It is often the most selective high school in the country, public or private, as measured by the average SAT scores of its students.
Lowell, under another name, became in 1856 the first U.S. public high school west of the Mississippi. It has long selected students on the basis of grades and test scores, but, in recent decades, it has not had average SAT scores as high as some Bay Area public schools that admit anyone living in their affluent neighborhoods.
The Fairfax County schools superintendent proposed in fall 2020 a lottery-like admissions system for Jefferson, but the school board said no. Lowell has adopted a lottery system because of issues with grades and test scores during the pandemic. It is set to expire in the next school year, but the school board wants to keep it. Reformers also have suggested lottery-like admissions for selective public schools in Boston, New York City and other places, but many people don’t like what sounds to them like picking names out of a hat.
Influential people wanted to try lotteries at Lowell and Jefferson for the same reason. They did not like the fact that Black, Hispanic and impoverished students were underrepresented. Jefferson, with 1.7 percent of students low-income and 5 percent Black or Hispanic, was less welcoming to such students than Lowell, with 36 percent of students low-income and 14 percent Hispanic or Black.
The largest ethnic group at both schools is of Asian descent. This has happened at some other selective high schools. I can’t find research on this, but one reason may be that Asian American culture is more focused on academic achievement. Lawsuits have been filed in both San Francisco and Fairfax County, arguing that new admissions systems wrongly reduce the number of Asian American students accepted.
The new randomized lottery system at Lowell produced the largest number of Black and Hispanic freshmen in at least 25 years, up from 16 percent to 30 percent of that class. Jefferson also got more low-income, Black and Hispanic admissions out of a new non-lottery system that gave personal background some weight, one of several points of controversy in the lawsuits that have been filed.
While we fret over selective high school admissions, the random nature of our system for picking students for selective universities doesn’t get much attention. Ivy League admissions officers work hard to make sure each year they create a new class of freshmen that is both diverse and talented. But from the perspective of an individual applicant who knows the chance of admission can be as low as 5 percent, the process looks pretty random. Experienced admissions people at such colleges say that with the exception a few uniquely gifted students, those they admit are not clearly superior to many of the students they reject or put on bloated wait lists.
A new documentary about Lowell, “Try Harder!,” goes deep into the lives of students on that campus struggling with college admissions systems that don’t make sense to them. The students seem less concerned about the difficulties they encountered getting into their ancient and excellent high school. I think this is in part because the San Francisco district (57,000 students), like the Fairfax County district (178,000 students), has other schools with courses and teachers just as good.
If ninth-graders don’t get into Lowell, there are four other San Francisco campuses in the top 5 percent of U.S. high schools measured by participation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and exams on my Challenge Index list. AP and IB are important for college preparation. Fairfax County has 16 high schools other than Jefferson in the top 5 percent.
Families are understandably pleased to have their children admitted to Jefferson, Lowell or other selective high schools. But I can find no research showing those students do better in college or life than similarly talented graduates of lower-performing high schools.
Complaints about randomized high school admissions often overlook the fact that only the most ambitious students are likely to apply to such demanding schools. Wanting to go to a school like Lowell or Jefferson reveals a desire to succeed that, as many of us learn in life, in the long run is more important than whatever high school we attended.
This is particularly true of the intellectual superstars who critics fear will not get into the best schools because of randomized admissions. I sense there are great teachers in nearly every school who will detect such students and make sure they get the special attention and freedom they need.
Those students’ parents are also likely to supply enriching experiences they would not find in most schools. Our country is blessed to have so many opportunities for young people like that.
Thomas Jefferson High responds to proposed bill challenging admissions policy
By Melissa Howell
01/12/2022
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Fairfax County, Virginia, is pushing back against a proposed bill that challenges its admissions process.
Beginning in October 2020, the magnet school stopped requiring standardized tests from students looking to apply, and implemented what it calls a merit-based, race-neutral application process aimed at giving students from underserved communities a chance to attend the school.
A bill which will be introduced to the Virginia General Assembly this month would prohibit Governor’s Schools from asking for racial and ethnic information and suggests that factors such as standardized testing, grades and extracurricular activities should be the determining factors when it comes to admissions.
The school has since responded, saying, “The bill rests on the fiction that any action taken to increase access for underserved or underprivileged groups is discrimination. This bill would serve to reinforce inequities, rather than working to eliminate them.”
Since implementing the new application process in 2020, the school says the average GPA for applicants has been higher than in the previous five years. Diversity has also increased: The number of Black students has risen from 1% to 7%, and the percentage of Hispanic students has grown from 3% to 11% of the school population.
维州提案 挑战明星TJ高中将族裔纳入招生标准
世界新闻网
01/12/2022
维州立法者近日推出一项提案，禁止州长学校(Governor’s Schools)以学生族裔等信息来招生，并建议以标准化考试来决定录取，这将重点挑战北维州汤玛斯杰弗逊高中(TJ高中)去年才通过并开始采用新招生方式，此招生改革议题再次引起地方乃至全美关注。
全美公立高中排名第一的的TJ高中去年开始以「综合评估」的新录取方式招收2021年秋季入学的新生，该方案规定，学生须满足GAP达3.5，上过代数学一(Algebra I)或更高级数学课、上过数学和科学的资优课(honors course)，外加一门英语或社会研究相关的资优课，申请者还要提交一篇数学或科学的短论文、一篇展示学生参与课外活动情况及成绩的「学生肖像单」(Student Portrait Sheet)，同时取消了入学考试及申请费，TJ高中所在的费郡公校(FCPS)称，此方案是为平衡学生族裔比例，提高多元性。
但此录取改革从开始至今持续惹议，以华裔为主的亚裔社区始终反对，表示新方案明显族裔偏袒，也让学生的刻苦努力徒劳；维州共和党州众议员戴维斯(Glenn R. Davis)近日提案称，除了联邦法律要求的信息之外，TJ高中等19所维州州长学校不应在招生过程中搜集申请者的族裔、性别、肤色、国籍等信息。
该提案禁止州长学校通过这些信息歧视或偏待任何学生，并建议州长学校只通过类似标准化入学考试等「传统学术评估方式」来衡量申请者的水平。
戴维斯表示，所有学校都不该将族裔背景纳入招生标准，「这么做只会创造一种虚假的多样性，实际上则会阻碍学生公平享受教育资源的渠道。」
该提案即将提交维州州议会，也被认为是在挑战TJ高中的录取改革，费郡公校(FCPS)的法律顾问福斯特(John Foster)表示，TJ高中没有在录取过程中考虑学生的族裔、民族、国籍等信息，并指责该提案明显针对TJ高中，「我们会持续捍卫TJ高中的录取流程，不论需要多少力气或时间。」
TJ高中2021年秋季首次以新录取方式招到新生，数据显示，非裔和西语裔学生占比增加，白人学生比例基本不变，相较之下，亚裔学生比例明显减少，从原来的逾70%降至50%左右。
戴维斯的提案是TJ高中录取政策近期面临的第三项挑战，此前以华裔为主的家长群体两次提诉，要求法官阻止或撤销TJ高中的录取改革，福斯特表示，费郡公校官员未来几日会为反击该提案做准备。
Immigrant Mom to School Officials: “Treat Children as Humans, Not Identities”
4/23/2021
4/23/2021
On April 17, Suparna Dutta sent the following email to Ann Bonitatibus, principal of Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology (“TJ”). Dutta’s email included a plea to Lisa Williams, the school district’s “chief equity officer.”
Ms. Bonitatibus,
On March 19th, as I sat in a hospital in India caring for my ailing mother, I got frantic texts from my child about offensive material being shown as part of 8th period mandatory social and emotional learning lessons. My child, who was very upset, sent me the slides and videos that the class was being subjected to. I was shocked to see videos of leaders of a very small but radical leftist 501(c)(4) group TJAAG, telling FCPS children that TJ is racist and indoctrinating them with far-left ideology at taxpayers’ dime. These were ideas right out of the Marxist “equal outcomes” Critical Race Theory ideology. These activists said “America is not the land of equality,” “have to be actively anti-racist; not simply not being racist, not doing bad things isn’t an option,” “take an active stance in calling out your classmates.” Adults should not be allowed to hold children as captive audience and subject them to psychological harm. That is what happened to my child. This is tantamount to child abuse at TJ under YOUR watch.
I shared these videos with other parents who are also upset about this. As the principal you are ultimately responsible for this radical propaganda. Who created this lesson? Do not try to hide behind our children by saying that this was created by them. Who approved this lesson? Why were parents not notified about this beforehand? Why were there no diverse viewpoints expressed? Since when does a school have the role of teaching morality to my child? That is my sacred job as a parent. You should stick to your job to provide a rigorous factual academic experience to my child. Let children be free thinkers by letting them express their opinions in a free and open dialogue without the fear of repercussions by activist educators, not by limiting ideas.
As most TJ parents now know from FOIA requests, you have been in bed with the radical activist TJAAG members for a long time, plotting to destroy the haven of meritocracy that TJ has offered children. TJ used to be the alternative to private schools, which most of us cannot afford. You wrote to mostly minority TJ parents last year questioning our privilege. You spoke of “lessons and activities that will need to be infused across our entire TJ program of study in all content areas.” You have demonized the hard working Asian American students by insinuating that they cheated their way into TJ by paying up to “$15,000,” which is an utter lie. While the rest of the world forges ahead in STEM education, and the US lags behind, your priority is to not bolster academic excellence but to teach kids to be radical activists. This is a dereliction of duty and you ought to be fired.
Ms. Williams,
Most parents don’t expect much of Superintendent Brabrand after the debacle over TJHSST and FCPS distance learning. But it is disappointing to see that as the equity lead, you have joined this divisive fray at FCPS. My chosen home, America, has been the beacon of freedom and hope in the world. “Anti-racist” ideology pits people against each other, divides them into oppressors and oppressed warring factions based on immutable factors. Everything gained since the civil rights movement is being lost now, with this cancerous Marxist ideology being inculcated in the youth. It encourages hatred and discrimination. A core tenet of CRT claims “The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.”
I hope you don’t indulge in the bigotry of low expectations against some groups, like Ms. Bonitatibus does. She said in an email last year that there are “so few black and brown children” at TJ. She also said at a TJPTSA meeting that when she pokes her head into classrooms at TJ, she’s saddened that the demographics do not reflect the geographic area. Imagine how that makes the parents feel?! Treat children as humans, NOT identities or objects to be experimented with.
I’m worried about the misguided and regressive path FCPS is taking. What will you do to assuage the concerns of parents who are very concerned about the indoctrination of CRT, couched in euphemisms like “culturally responsive,” which inflicts real emotional harm in our innocent children?
Very disappointed in FCPS,
Suparna Dutta
On April 19, Dutta received the following response from Bonitatibus.
Dear Ms. Dutta,
Thank you for reaching out to share your and your daughter’s experience relative to the content in the SEL lesson on March 19. I am sorry that your daughter felt offended and we will respect your request to excuse your child from remaining SEL lessons this year. Also, I am sorry to hear your mother was ailing and hope your time at her side was one of comfort.
I would like to take this opportunity to provide one point for clarity on an issue you raise. Please be aware that there is no partnership that TJ as a school or I as an individual share with TJAAG. TJ student leaders working on the project wanted current and former TJ voices. They reached out to alumni of their choosing, none of whom in the video were identified as members of TJAAG, nor did they speak to that organization.
I would also offer that you and I have never spoken personally about our shared beliefs and values, especially the sacred right you hold as a parent teaching morality to your child. If you would want to speak one-on-one about your concerns, I am always open to do so. We most likely would learn from each other and develop a stronger mutual respect and understanding.
Regards,
Ann N. Bonitatibus, Ed.D.
To date, the embattled Bonitatibus has not resigned, nor has she been terminated from her role at TJ. While Bonitatibus’s email fails to apologize for the March 19 incident, she does offer to excuse Dutta’s child from “remaining SEL lessons this year.” Other parents, across Fairfax County, might want to request the same for their own children, if they don’t want them exposed to similar Critical Race Theory indoctrination sessions.
A Lawsuit Challenges TJ Admission Changes
Parents sue to stop TJ’s admission policy changes, alleging anti-Asian race discrimination.
By Mercia Hobson
3/19/2021
The Fairfax County School Board and Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Brabrand face a new lawsuit filed against them last week in United States District Court in Alexandria. The lawsuit alleges race discrimination against Asian-American students by the School Board and the superintendent in changing the admissions process to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, known as “TJ.” The Pacific Legal Foundation filed the civil suit on Wednesday, March 10, on behalf of their client, Coalition for TJ, a group of mostly concerned parents at the high school.
#“This type of racial balancing is unconstitutional,” said Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Erin Wilcox at a press conference held that morning outside the courthouse.
#The Plaintiffs allege FCPS’ recently-implemented overhaul of the TJ admissions process changes, which eliminated the long-standing race-neutral standardized admissions test, is specifically aimed to reduce the number of incoming Asian-American students to racially balance the school according to the racial demographics of the school. “Up until this year, admissions to TJ have been race-blind,” said Wilcox. “Unfortunately, Fairfax County Schools officials apparently believed that this is too many Asian students,” she said.
Pacific Legal Foundation holds a press conference on March 10 announcing that they filed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School Board and Superintendent Scott Brabrand on behalf of their client, Coalition for TJ, challenging recent changes to the admissions policy at Thomas High School for Science and Technology.
#THE COMPLAINT alleges that without the court issuing an injunction, the number of Asian-American students in the incoming TJ Class of 2025 is likely to be cut in half due to the “defendants’ stated desire to manipulate TJ’s demographics.” “The discriminatory intent they’ve shown is intertwined and an inseparable part of the policies they put in place,” Wilcox said.
#According to the lawsuit, in the fall of 2020, Superintendent Brabrand and the School Board saw a reporting requirement by the Virginia Department of Education to include the racial/ethnic make-up and socioeconomic diversity of its students, faculty, and applicants as an opportunity “to completely overhaul the TJ admissions process in order to racially balance the school’s demographics, going far beyond the minimal reporting requirements.”
#Located in Alexandria, TJ is a regional Virginia state-chartered magnet school operated by FCPS with students eligible for admission from Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William counties, and the City of Falls Church. TJ is ranked the number one public high school in the 2020 National Rankings.
#The School Board voted to eliminate the TJ merit-based admissions test at its Oct. 6 work session with no public comment opportunity. The complaint quotes Brabrand during the discussion at the work session with the Board to say that eliminating the merit admissions test “eliminat[es] the testing component that squeezed out talent and squeezed out diversity in our system.” Board members said they hoped the new process increased Black and Hispanic representation in the student body.
#On Dec. 17, the School Board voted and adopted, with immediate implementation, further changes to the TJ admissions policy applicable to the incoming TJ freshman Class of 2025 and to future years. The Board adopted the challenged admissions policy that limits the number of students accepted from each county feeder middle school to the top 1.5 percent who meet the minimum evaluation criteria-GPA, student portrait sheet, problem-solving essay, and experience factors: including economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, or special education students.
#The lawsuit alleges that coupled with the high concentration of Asian-American students at four middle schools – Carson, Kilmer, Rocky Run, and Longfellow – and their history of sending large numbers of students to TJ, racial balancing could be accomplished.
#According to the complaint, the plaintiffs sought “to vindicate the rights of Asian-American public school children in and around Fairfax County, Virginia, to compete on an equal footing for admission to the nationally-ranked Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) without regard to their race.” Overall, Plaintiffs’ data analysis reported in the complaint that the student body at TJ, at approximately 73 percent Asian-American students under the merit-based race-blind admissions system would drop to 31 percent under the new racial-balancing admissions system for the Class of 2025 with “no other racial group projected to lose seats.”
#The lawsuit alleges changes to admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment “…a promise that government at every level will treat every American as an individual, not simply as a member of his or her racial group. Policies like the one implemented by FCPS stand in direct opposition to that promise.”
#THE PLAINTIFFS requested entry of an order requiring the Defendants to return to the admissions procedure for entry into TJ in the fall of 2020. “The Coalition for TJ is not going to stand for this kind of discrimination against Asian-American students and they are here to fight for equal protection for their children,” said Wilcox.
#Julia McCaskill, an immigrant, and parent of a TJ student and students in grades 8 and 6, said at the March 10 press conference that TJ does not belong to a certain race or certain group of people. Low admission rates at TJ for Black and Hispanics are the failure of the FCPS Board, according to McCaskill. “They failed those under-represented areas over the decades instead of fixing the pipeline issue. The authorities are stirring up hate against Asian-Americans hoping to slash the number of Asian-American students will fix the overdue school problem.”
#Asra Nomani, a cofounder of Coalition for TJ and parent of a senior at TJ, said during the press conference that she came to the United States at age four from India. Nomani said she was proud to be working the past nine months with families who came to the United States from communist China and eastern Europe, India, and other places where they faced injustice. “They never could have imagined that they would face injustice in America,” she said.
#A Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson provided a statement saying, “The process continues to be race-neutral and merit-based… As a Governor’s school, we value diversity and believe that it contributes to the richness of the education at TJHSST.”
#Parents of 17 middle school students filed the initial lawsuit in November 2020 to overturn the School Board’s decision to eliminate the standardized admission test for TJ and the $100 application fee. On Feb. 2, a Fairfax Circuit Court Judge John M. Tran denied the parents’ request to require mandatory standardized testing in the admissions process. Tran said, “The debate over standardized testing belongs to educational professionals.”
#On Friday, March 12, Wilcox said that the next step would be the defendants’ response, either an Answer or a Motion to Dismiss, in approximately 60 days. “I’ve seen in various news articles that FCPS issued a statement on Wednesday. Their legal response to our complaint will be one of the documents mentioned,” Wilcox said.
Source: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2021/mar/19/lawsuit-challenges-tj-admission-changes/
Judge declines to halt elite school’s admissions changes
2/04/2021
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A judge on Tuesday refused to issue an injunction to stop an elite northern Virginia high school from changing its admissions policies.
Fairfax County Public Schools is overhauling the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which has been ranked as the top public high school in the country.
The school board hopes the changes will increase diversity at the school, which has long failed to attract Black and Hispanic students. Standardized tests that have long been part of the admissions process have been scrapped in favor of a more holistic review.
Supporters of the existing system sued, citing state regulations designating TJ as a school for the gifted and stating that giftedness should be measured by a standardized test.
Circuit Court Judge John Tran declined to issue an injunction that would immediately bar the changes from taking effect, but the lawsuit itself can still go forward.
A conservative legal group is also weighing a challenge based on racial discrimination against Asian Americans who currently make up a majority of the student body.
Students, Parents Challenge TJ Admissions Changes
Coalition for TJ | Press Release
11/07/2020
Seventeen parents filed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School Board and Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand for illegally changing the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
TJ, as the school is known, is the nation’s top-ranked public high school, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1985, the STEM-focused Governor’s School has long maintained rigorous, merit-based, race-blind admissions standards that include the administering of a set of standardized tests. In an October 6 work session, however, the Fairfax County School Board voted to abolish the school’s admissions tests, and the superintendent abruptly eliminated the tests from this year’s admissions process.
The lawsuit alleges that the school board and superintendent violated state laws and regulations requiring that a “nationally norm-referenced aptitude test” be used as part of the TJ admissions process to identify gifted learners with an aptitude for STEM. As a Governor’s School, TJ provides services to gifted students, or advanced academic learners, and receives special funding from the Commonwealth for this purpose.
Today, the Coalition for TJ held a press conference outside the Fairfax County Courthouse, announcing that the 17 parents had filed a lawsuit against school officials. “The basis for the complaint against Fairfax County School Board and Scott Brabrand is relatively simple,” Coalition for TJ co-founder Glenn Miller said at the news conference. “Virginia law, which is the superior law and controls the actions of Fairfax County and its school board, contains specific requirements that must be followed in order to admit students to TJ. Fairfax County and its school board violated those laws. As such, the Fairfax County School Board and the superintendent acted beyond their authority and acted arbitrarily and capriciously.”
The abolition of TJ’s standardized admissions tests will invariably reduce the number of Asian students at the school. The lawsuit’s 17 plaintiffs are families of current middle schoolers who are disadvantaged by the admissions changes. Plaintiff James Pan, father of a gifted middle schooler, spoke at today’s press conference. “FCPS is using the pretext of banning the test for their goal of reducing Asians at TJ,” Pan said. “The government is using a process that is plain old bigotry.”
Plaintiff and middle school parent Srinivas Akella said that he chose to live in Fairfax County for its program for gifted students and for TJ, in particular. “The school board and FCPS arbitrarily made changes to the admissions process in violation of state law,” Akella said today. “I have faith in our judiciary, and I am petitioning them as a last avenue since there was no other recourse left for me to pursue.”
Following the plaintiffs’ remarks at today’s press conference, Coalition for TJ co-founder Asra Nomani spoke of the opportunities that TJ has afforded generations of immigrants in Fairfax County. “My father came here for the American Dream. My son pursued it here in this country and is now a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology,” Nomani said. “We should not allow anyone — including the Fairfax County School Board and Superintendent Scott Brabrand — to stand in the way of justice. We are all here for the justice that America provides, and I applaud these courageous families.”
WATCH:
•Nov 5, 2020
