Mahwah Vigil for AAPI Solidarity Unites Community, Raises Concerns Of Minority Students

Mahwah Alliance for Change organized a vigil in honor of it’s AAPI community and invited Town officials, Bergen County Commissioners Mary
Amoroso, Ramon Hache, Township Mayor James Wysocki, religious clergy, students and community members to speak out about bigotry towards
Asian Americans.

As speakers took the stage, they acknowledge the 1900% increase in hate crimes towards Asian Americans in the last year and that figure
is thought to be widely underreported.

On what it has felt like to be a proud Asian American and mother, Julie Lee, Mahwah resident and senior Vice President at Christian Health Care in Wyckoff said, “We are your educators, we are your local and state representatives, your clergy, your lawyers and judges, we are your biomedical engineers helping to develop the next vaccine. I’msad and enraged to witness my kids going through bigotry like I did 40 years ago and it’s still happening. Consider having those uncomfortable

conversations with friends and family who sit on the other side of the fence and call them out.”

Councilwoman for Mahwah, Michelle Crowe-Paz advised community members to make their town more inclusive, “Everyone has an opportunity to
learn and grow, starting with the community we live in and with the people we interact with on a daily basis. For example, the new family that moved in down the block that may speak a different language…walk by, say hi and introduce yourself.”

Mayor James Wysocki spoke about the need for town spaces to unite , “America, we are better than this. The township of Mahwah welcomes all
attendees and your guests with open arms. With the changing times, it’s important for communities like Mahwah to come together and unite
everyone. We need to treat everyone equally.”

“It’s time to stop the cycle of hate and start the age of unity. We all benefit when we stand up for and stand by each other,” said Patricia Barsella, Mahwah mom and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
advocate.

As students of Mahwah high school took the stage, it became apparent that children in the community have been experiencing racial trauma in
the schools.

Stefanie Wang, Mahwah high school graduate spoke about the racism she experienced as a student in the Mahwah schools and its effects on her emotional wellbeing, “Growing up in a predominantly White town, I’ve had classmates throw racial slurs at me, pull back their eyes, make
fun of my last name, call me Ling-Ling, and so much more. In this environment, it was hard to love myself and accept my identity and no one should have to feel this way. It was also the lack of Asian
American history taught in schools. Parents, educators and those whose words hold power, do better. What scares me is not seeing enough
people in this town talking about these hate crimes and defending Asian Americans. We are American, too.” Wang has organized a campaign with the Taiwanese Students Association at Rutgers University, where she is currently a student, to fundraise for the AAPI community.

Darian Pope, an African American student also spoke about the racism that he experienced in the Mahwah schools, “I want the Asian community
to know that we hear your voices. I can assure you that others and myself included will help raise them. I stand with you because my community, the Black community understands your pain because we have experienced it. My being a Black student in a predominantly White school has been very, very difficult. I understand what it feels like
to be called slurs, to be made fun of and I felt the need to laugh along with it because I felt scared to speak up. I know that all of our voices combined can be so loud.”

Minority enrollment at the Mahwah schools, is 23% which is significantly lower than the New Jersey state average of 56%. A 2011 study on racial discrimination and mental health shows that there’s a serious correlation between discrimination and depression and anxiety. For minority students, studies show that their experiences include alienation, racial discrimination and violence in schools.

There have been a number of students coming forward to talk about their difficult experiences of similar race and also gender related trauma in the Mahwah schools district. Mahwah Alliance for Change is committed to continuing to raise awareness about issues affecting AAPI community members and other minority groups.

Karlito Almeda, lifelong resident of Mahwah and Emcee of the Vigil, said, “This is about the fight for inclusion. This impacts all races, genders and sexualities as well as religions. Today’s focus may be about the AAPI community but this is bigger than that. It’s about the struggle for the American soul. We have to work together for inclusion

and that starts with pushing for laws that mandate anti-bias training for students and anti-bias training in our schools. We need a movement where change is driven by and for the people. We need to have the political courage to call out the injustices and inequities. We need to stand together as allies.”

Almeda has announced he’s dedicated to bringing about change by running as the Democratic candidate for NJ State Assembly of District
39.