Montessori Activism In Asian America

I am an Asian-American male who was born in Japan but who has also lived in France and England. It was just two years ago that I really confronted the history and challenges of my Asian heritage after talking to my grandparents--immigrants who had been forced to live in desperate poverty in Hong Kong. 

I was shocked to hear the struggles that they faced as lower-class Asians when they moved to England in the 1950s. They constantly faced racism and discrimination such as often being verbally abused in their workplace and frequently treated like pariahs--or Martians--out in public. They had to work two times as hard as privileged White English citizens to achieve the same goals. Despite these challenges, they persevered, and my grandparents eventually began a successful gourmet restaurant group that resulted in a meeting with the Queen to receive the citizenship award.

It was learning about the Asian migration to California in the mid-1800s that made me want to further embrace my culture and advocate for equal rights and against Asian hate crimes. In the 1850s, many Chinese immigrants came to California in search of wealth to send back to their family during the California Gold Rush. Asians were faced with discrimination and racism as soon as they stepped foot in the state. In addition, they were burdened with laws that were created just to make life more difficult for them. I was proud to hear that they fought through these barriers to create their own enclave called Chinatown, which led to the spread of similar Asian communities worldwide which are bursting with Asian culture and represent a sort of safe haven. 

The recent events of disgusting and inexplicable Asian hate crimes have represented a step backward in the pursuit of equality for all, as have events like the shooting of elderly and harmless Asians in Atlanta. This must cease and I am committed to pushing for this crucial change in America.

In the present day, these issues are talked about more but nevertheless have largely been unsuccessful in changing people’s views. In order to combat this, we need to start from our shared humanity, from fundamental issues on which we agree. We also need to access a broad perspective of people’s views across the spectrum, as well as adapt effective learning techniques. 

I have had a range of learning experiences from living in Japan, Paris, Oxford, and now New York. One of the most profound was from my first school, which was a Montessori nursery. I remember vividly, at three, cutting up vegetables for a lunch kebab, or fingering beads as I learned how to add, or tracing sandpaper letters. The core values of this school were, in the words of Maria Montessori herself, “Listen to the child, to the child’s rhythm.” 

We should follow Maria Montessori’s words as they could help bring people together in mindful, effective discussion. I want to bring commonalities, no matter how small or insignificant-seeming, to the forefront of the conversation. Thus, people can become more accommodating of others who may be different from them, but are still people. Being a Next Generation Politics Civic Fellow gives me the tools to be able to fight for equal rights and better understanding and tolerance of difference, focusing on the Asian aspect due to my experience and the Asian family I have--some of whom can be scared to go outside at night and be in parks due to the persistent threat of a hate crime. Any human who lives on this planet should not be scared or anxious to go outside for no other reason than the heritage and the ethnicity that they have, something to be proud of and something that can not be ignored.

Lucian Kirby is a 16 year old Junior at Stuyvesant High School and a Next Generation Politics Summer Civic Fellow.