Walnut Creek Leaders Stand In Support Of AAPI Community

Press release from the City of Walnut Creek:

March 19, 2021

Mayor Kevin Wilk and Presidents of Walnut Creek Boards of Educations Condemn Violence

The dramatic increase in the violent and disturbing crimes and incidents toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities during this pandemic, and especially toward the elderly, is disheartening and deserves acknowledgement and denouncement. These events are antithetical to Walnut Creek’s beliefs and cultural aspirations.

Every member of the Walnut Creek Community deserves to live, learn and work in a world free of racism, discrimination, and violence. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighborhoods and communities. Progress in these areas requires tremendous diligence from our community leaders, elected officials, and educators. Together, we bear a great responsibility to lift up our next generations ever higher.

It is clear that the AAPI community has been experiencing discrimination and violence motivated by racism. The recent attacks on Vicha Ratanapakdee, Noel Quintana, Yik Oi Huang, Grandmother Duong from San Jose, and Mauricio Gesmundo, just to name a few, are both horrifying and sickening. The recent shootings in Atlanta, wherein six AAPIs were murdered, has stirred speculation about racist motivations. Truly, these events impact all of us in our communities, and we condemn all forms of racism and scapegoating of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Bay Area and beyond. To that point, Walnut Creek is joining cities across the country in lowering our flags to half-staff through March 22, 2021 as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on March 16, 2021 in Atlanta.

Here in Walnut Creek, we continue to work to engage all of our minority communities through listening sessions on diversity, equity and inclusivity. These sessions have helped build the framework for an upcoming city task force so that we can work together as a community and as neighbors to address our biases and resolve these issues. Every neighborhood and school district in Walnut Creek has an obligation to treat each other with kindness, and to call out injustice when it’s witnessed.

Education is inseparable from the ideals of justice, equity, and inclusion. We believe equity is a human right and strive to see every person provided with what they individually require to learn, succeed, and prosper. We stand firm on ensuring equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist policies and practices. We are committed to holding each other responsible for respectful conduct and treatment of one another.

Here are some ways we can stand together with our AAPI community:

• Sign up for your local City updates and get involved with your community. For Walnut Creek visit www.walnut-creek.org. Signing up for our electronic newsletters will provide updated information on task forces and more.
• Save the MDUSD Campus Safety Hotline: (925) 709-4847. This hotline is available for students and parents/guardians to leave a confidential, taped message about anything occurring at school or in virtual classrooms that is causing students to feel unsafe. Visit https://mdusd.org/counselingservices for counseling & crisis resources.
• Visit the WCSD Website at https://www.walnutcreeksd.org/ under Parent/Guardian Resources for a listing of Health, Welfare, & Crisis Resources.
• Report incidents, read reports and news releases at stopaapihate.org
• For educators and parents: https://www.learningforjustice.org/ provides materials that helps educators to create inclusive school communities where children and youth are respected, valued and welcomed.

As elected officials in Walnut Creek, we are committed to do our part to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion work with our community. We hold hope as people from different cultures and communities rise together to condemn hate. A community of belonging does not happen at the expense of the oppression of others. We must continue to do this work together.

Kevin Wilk, Mayor, Walnut Creek

Cherise Khaund, President of MDUSD Board of Education

Heidi Hernandez Gatty, President of WCSD Board of Education

This press release was produced by the City of Walnut Creek. The views expressed here are the author’s own.