Wellesley police taking part at forum on anti-Asian racism; Wellesley High hosts healing space for Asian, Asian American students; WPS speaks out
The Norfolk District Attorney’s office is promoting a forum on anti-Asian racism that will include DA Michael Morrissey, Rep. Tackey Chan, QARI CEO Philip Chong, local activists and local police chiefs on Tuesday, March 23, from 7-8:15pm. Wellesley Police Chief Jack Pilecki will be joined by chiefs from Brookline, Needham, Dover, and Quincy.
Current Assistant District Attorney Peter Tilley and former chief of civil rights prosecution for Norfolk County Grace Lee, a Brookline activist and board member of the Asian American Task Force on Domestic Violence, will be making short presentations prior to a question-and-answer period.
The event will be simulcast on the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office Facebook page and YouTube channel, NORFOLKDATV.
To obtain the Zoom link, submit questions in any language, or request simultaneous translation to a specific language, send an email to Quincy Asian Resources at philip@quincyasianresources.org.
“The presentations from the hosts, the chiefs, and speakers will be very brief,” District Attorney Morrissey said. “Our central objective here is to listen, to learn, and to reassure the Asian American community that we recognize what is happening and we want to help.”
Separately, Wellesley High School’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is hosting a healing space on March 18 for Asian and Asian American students seeking to process recent events.
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Wellesley Public Schools Supt. Dr. David Lussier issued this statement in the wake of the killings in Georgia:
In light of the recent increase in violence directed toward Asian-Americans in this country, punctuated by this week’s horrific murders in Georgia, the Wellesley Public Schools wants to unequivocally denounce this violence and affirm its strong support for our Asian-American community. Diversity is a strength of our country and our community, despite recent nativist trends, particularly those associated with and fueled by rhetoric associated with the pandemic.
As a result of these events, it remains critical for us to stand as one school district and one community, pushing back on those forces aimed at dividing us. We hope our entire community will stand together as we reflect a shared commitment to our Core Values and the concept of “One Wellesley.”
Dr. David Lussier
Superintendent of Schools
