The newly formed Race and Equity Committee is hosting a Racism Against Asian Americans Panel, welcome to all students, faculty and community.

The Race and Equality committee is a group of students from different organizations and clubs who have come together to advocate for equality, represent all students and inform the community about racism. It was formed mid-year, and it is now hosting its first event.

The Race and Equality committee has been hard at work planning the virtual panel. The panel will be focused on the recent violence toward Asian-Americans across the country. Students will be invited to speak about personal experiences and share thoughts.

The event will be on Apr. 28, at 3 p.m. A zoom link will be posted on social media, the school website and Canvas. The panel will last approximately an hour and a half, depending on the conversation. 

A panel is similar to a webinar, which is a zoom meeting but only the hosts have their cameras on and the guests do not have the option to unmute and turn their cameras on. Panels allow the opportunity for students to ask questions and gain a better understanding of a topic. Guest speakers can also provide insight into personal experiences.  

Senior class president Rachel Son said, “I think students at Wootton should attend the panel because it’s a good opportunity to get educated on what’s going on and hear firsthand, the impact that it’s had on some people.”

The panel will consist of an opening presentation to learn about the recent anti-Asian American attacks going on around the country. Next, the committee will play informative videos that will give background information. Then the committee will introduce guest speakers, who will share their stories and insight. Lastly, there will be a segment for questions and conversation, offering a safe space for students to discuss. 

Talking about what has been going on will take the community one step further to solving the hate. Freshman class secretary and leader of the event Aakash Palathra said, anti-Asian hate, “is not a dismissable thing. We must take action together, and we must take action now.”

For this panel, the Race and Equality committee is working closely with the League of Educators for Asian American Progress, which is composed of high school students around the world that work to solve this discrimination issue. They have a racial justice hub that assists in spreading information.

As well as working with the League of Educators, the Race and Equity committee is working with the Asian American club, Latino Student Union and other clubs to get more insight. 

Palathra said, “You, the student, get to have an amazing opportunity to share your feelings toward Asian hate. However, you also are able to share ideas of how we can solve this problem.”

Attending this event is crucial to spread awareness and inform yourself about what has been going on in America. Junior class president Dylan Safai said, “I believe that students should attend the panel because they will better be able to understand the lived experiences of their peers. This can cause the community to become closer and more unified with one another.”