COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a powerful one-minute video, the state’s largest district created a video to show diverse faces that make up Columbus City Schools.
It was created two weeks after eight people were shot and killed at spas in Atlanta, Georgia, in which six of the victims were women of Asian descent.
“I strongly condemn the recent acts of violence toward Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities,” Talisa Dixon, superintendent and CEO of Columbus City Schools, said in a statement.
“Xenophobia, prejudice, racism and violence have no place in our society, nor are they acceptable in our school community,” she added.
The new CCS video shows administrators, teachers, students and others in the district saying their names in English or their native languages.
According to district spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant, each person represents the many cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds of CCS.
“The District does not tolerate discrimination in any form,” Dixon continued in her statement. “We must be intentional and forward-thinking in how we approach cultural awareness as an urban school district. Learning how to talk to one another and educating ourselves about the differences we see around us is how we build community.”
The video ends with the #CCSStandsTogether hashtag as a sign of solidarity for the #StopAsianHate movement.
A recent study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found hate crimes decreased overall by 7% in 2020. However, those targeting Asian people rose by nearly 150%.
The nonprofit AAPI Data group says while the uptick cannot be entirely attributed to former President Donald Trump and his administration’s racist rhetoric about the coronavirus, the repeated misinformation and calling it the “China virus” played a part in fostering hate.
Click here to read a perspective from 10TV's Angela An.