During the week of February 11-14, Stuyvesant celebrated Respect for All Week by having after-school Talk Circles each day. They included conversations about “Addressing Hate & Bias in Schools." –exploring the rise of Hate Crimes, Racism, Slurs, Violence and related areas targeting Ableism and Anti-Semitism and “Race and Equity in Education” – a conversation on how race effects education and addressing unequal opportunities.
On Thursday, the Respect for All Talk Circle focused on “Empowering and Supporting our LBGTQ+ GSA Community” – a conversation about respecting preferred pronouns and identities in schools with a special documentary screening of “All in the Family” and visit from Mr. Hao Wu, who as the only male descendant in his Chinese family, he was raised with a certain set of expectations - excel at school, get a good job, marry, and have kids. Yet, despite reaching all of these goals, Wu still faces the dilemma of reconciling the ways in which he achieved them with his family's deeply traditional beliefs. Years after coming out to his parents and sister, they continue to grapple with his identity, especially Wu's headstrong but big-hearted mother. When Wu and his partner bring their young children to China to meet the rest of the extended clan – most of whom are unaware that he's gay - the family must decide how, or if, they'll introduce the thoroughly modern family into the fold. All in My Family paints a heartfelt portrait of how familial love carries and changes across cultures and generations of traditions. (photo courtesy of Ms. Pedrick)
On Friday, the Respect for All Talk Circle focused on “My Name is Islam” – a conversation about myths and facts on Muslim identity and addressing Islamophobia in our schools along with MIST 2020, coming up on March 23 and awards on March 28, with students from MSA and SAYA giving experiences and answering questions.
Special thanks to Mr. Angel Colon, the leaders of BSL, Aspira, and all StuyUnity Clubs for this special week of activity for Stuyvesant!
