“To my Asian American neighbors, I support you all. If any of you feel unsafe, or have elderly relatives you want a walking buddy to watch over, I’m here to support. I am so broken hearted over what is going on. I want everyone to feel welcome. Please let me know. Your Neighbor, Daniel.” -NextDoor Post, Cambrian Park, March 17, 2021
I went for a run this morning to clear my head. I planned for a ten miler roundtrip along the Los Gatos Creek Trail, starting at Campbell Park. The route takes me through and around Vasona Park and back to Campbell. The trail would be pretty quiet on a mid-morning weekday, I suspected. I got lost in a podcast, and the gorgeous view of the Santa Cruz Mountains shrouded in grey clouds.
A couple of miles in, I had seen only a handful of walkers going in the opposite direction. It struck me that most were AAPI men and women of all ages, and most were wearing hats or visors low over their eyes, with sunglasses. I felt compelled to offer a friendly wave and “Good Morning.” Several did not make eye contact with me or respond. Two young women in their 30s walking together looked at me with genuine fear in their eyes until I lowered my mask to offer a friendly smile. They immediately relaxed and waved back. Did they choose to go for a walk mid-morning because they didn’t want to run into a lot of people? For fear of another racist slur, or worse, physical violence?
This is Silicon Valley in 2021. My God, we need to do better.
“We don’t live in a siloed existence, where the actions, fear, and pain of our neighbors do not affect us. The ripple effect of fear-mongering and hate crimes permeates our community’s ecosystem.”
As a white woman, I will never know the fear that our AAPI neighbors feel right now. I do know that I – and we – must be part of the solution. As Senior Fellows, I believe it’s our responsibility.
Let’s talk about community for a minute. Peter Block reminds us in his book with the same name of the transformational power of showing up as citizens vs. consumers. Citizens take ownership and responsibility for the whole and make decisions for the wellbeing of the whole. Consumers just… well, take. How are you showing up today? How will WE show up as a network?
We don’t live in a siloed existence, where the actions, fear, and pain of our neighbors do not affect us. The ripple effect of fear-mongering and hate crimes permeates our community’s ecosystem. How might we, as Senior Fellows who are in leadership roles and have significant influence, do more than tweet a hashtag or post a proverbial statement? How do we take action, now and in the future, to create spaces for real dialogue that address the hard issues head-on?
Board Member Kim Rivera (Class XXXIII) said in a meeting this week about ALF, “Real conversations happen here.” Indeed. And my call to action for you all is to courageously start having those real conversations in the circles you influence. We desperately need them.
I applaud and am incredibly inspired by the efforts of ALF’s AAPI Caucus, who immediately came together to draft statements about the escalation of anti-Asian attacks and what leaders must do about it as well as an op-ed about vaccine equity in solidarity with Latino and Black communities. I also want to lift up ALF’s other racial caucuses, La Comunidad for Justice, Equity and Inclusion and Black@ALF, who expressed support and unity.
Please read the joint statement with specific calls to action, led by AACI and Senior Fellow Sarita Kohli (Class XXXV), with ALF’s AAPI Caucus contributions as well as the AAPI Caucus’s letter to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
To our AAPI Senior Fellows, we see you and are holding you all in our hearts right now. You are not alone. We are here to listen, learn, and take action together with you.
To all other ALF Senior Fellows – we have work to do. Let’s go.
In Solidarity,
Suzanne St. John-Crane
Chief Executive Officer
Class XXV / Urbanism XXXIV
Resources
Stop AAPI Hate
Asian Americans Advancing Justice: Hate Tracking
Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)
Asian Law Alliance
NAPABA Hate Crimes Task Force and Pro Bono Legal Resources
Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment
Asian American Mental Health Collective
Suzanne St. John-Crane joined as CEO of American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley in March of 2016, having been through both Classic Class XXV and the inaugural Urbanism Class XXXIV. St. John-Crane has worked in community media for the last twenty-four years, having served as the founding executive director for two community television stations in the Bay Area, including CreaTV San Jose. St. John-Crane was named one of Silicon Valley’s 100 Women of Influence in 2012 by the Business Journal and currently serves as Board Chair of ALF National.
