@chrisemdin Dr. Mike Robinson: In your Facebook post, you stated, "Extending love to our Asian sisters and brothers is NOT anti-Black or shifting focus from the necessary movement to center Blackness." What led you to address this issue?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: I chose to address the issue because of posts on Instagram that seemed to suggest that anti-Asian violence is not the concern of Black folks. The posts concerned me, but the support/comments that they received concerned me more. Once this type of thinking is supported and made visible, it takes root in the imagination and spreads widely. As a collective of marginalized folks, we cannot afford to allow that message to go unchecked.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What would you say to those who believe that some groups that are being targeted, assaulted, and murdered have at times turned a blind eye to the assault on the humanity of African Americans?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: I agree that many of our Asian American brothers and sisters have not always fought for us. I understand the frustration and the anger. However, we cannot move forward without recognizing that many have marched, protested, and fought for us. We must also recognize that extending humanity does not mean we lose anything. If anything, we gain allies and build solidarity. My statement is not to say we don't address Anti-Black violence by Asian Americans. It is a real issue. Just as anti-Asian violence is a real issue, our work should be to hold folks accountable even as we show love and basic humanity when they are being targeted by forces that can be galvanized against us.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How can African Americans show that Humanity, Love, and Support for the Asian population, while doing so, is not removing the focus on the struggles of the African American communities?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: We can share that we are against AAPI violence. We can use social media to denounce it. We can call our friends from the Asian American community and ask if they are okay. We can denounce police statements that trivialize murder.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you think what is happening to the Asian Community, which you describe as the same violence that oppresses Black America is a wake-up call for other minority communities to join the struggle for equal rights and social justice in a profound way?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: Yes. White supremacy has a prime target on the back of Black folks, and it uses other marginalized folks to perpetuate this violence. Division is a tactic of the oppressor to ensure that coalitions are not built that push back against the system and its violence against Black folks. We must never forget that when violence is enacted against the marginalized and doesn't go unchecked, it emboldens the next effort.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What role can the educational systems plan both K-12 and higher education in addressing the misconceptions related to equity, equal rights, and social justice?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: Schools must incorporate more critical and nuanced approaches to race, class, history into the curriculum. We must also have studies of contemporary issues/events in classrooms. The insurrection and its causes must be part of what we study. The current rise of White supremacy post-Obama should be studied NOW, not 50 years from now.
Dr. Christopher Emdin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University; where he also serves as Director of the Science Education program and Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. He is an alumni fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University and served as STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Emdin is a social critic, public intellectual and science advocate whose commentary on issues of race, culture, inequality and education have appeared in dozens of influential periodicals including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Dr. Emdin holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology; Masters degrees in both Natural Sciences and Education Administration, and Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry.
Dr. Christopher Emdin: I chose to address the issue because of posts on Instagram that seemed to suggest that anti-Asian violence is not the concern of Black folks. The posts concerned me, but the support/comments that they received concerned me more. Once this type of thinking is supported and made visible, it takes root in the imagination and spreads widely. As a collective of marginalized folks, we cannot afford to allow that message to go unchecked.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What would you say to those who believe that some groups that are being targeted, assaulted, and murdered have at times turned a blind eye to the assault on the humanity of African Americans?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: I agree that many of our Asian American brothers and sisters have not always fought for us. I understand the frustration and the anger. However, we cannot move forward without recognizing that many have marched, protested, and fought for us. We must also recognize that extending humanity does not mean we lose anything. If anything, we gain allies and build solidarity. My statement is not to say we don't address Anti-Black violence by Asian Americans. It is a real issue. Just as anti-Asian violence is a real issue, our work should be to hold folks accountable even as we show love and basic humanity when they are being targeted by forces that can be galvanized against us.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How can African Americans show that Humanity, Love, and Support for the Asian population, while doing so, is not removing the focus on the struggles of the African American communities?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: We can share that we are against AAPI violence. We can use social media to denounce it. We can call our friends from the Asian American community and ask if they are okay. We can denounce police statements that trivialize murder.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you think what is happening to the Asian Community, which you describe as the same violence that oppresses Black America is a wake-up call for other minority communities to join the struggle for equal rights and social justice in a profound way?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: Yes. White supremacy has a prime target on the back of Black folks, and it uses other marginalized folks to perpetuate this violence. Division is a tactic of the oppressor to ensure that coalitions are not built that push back against the system and its violence against Black folks. We must never forget that when violence is enacted against the marginalized and doesn't go unchecked, it emboldens the next effort.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What role can the educational systems plan both K-12 and higher education in addressing the misconceptions related to equity, equal rights, and social justice?
Dr. Christopher Emdin: Schools must incorporate more critical and nuanced approaches to race, class, history into the curriculum. We must also have studies of contemporary issues/events in classrooms. The insurrection and its causes must be part of what we study. The current rise of White supremacy post-Obama should be studied NOW, not 50 years from now.
Dr. Christopher Emdin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University; where he also serves as Director of the Science Education program and Associate Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education. He is an alumni fellow at the Hutchins Center at Harvard University and served as STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Emdin is a social critic, public intellectual and science advocate whose commentary on issues of race, culture, inequality and education have appeared in dozens of influential periodicals including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Dr. Emdin holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology; Masters degrees in both Natural Sciences and Education Administration, and Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry.