The Writing: Antiracism and the classroom
My fundamental work in the classroom is building a new trust for my students, however it is they have lost trust in their own power.
Last Friday was the first ever Hotpot, a Writing Space specifically for Asian diaspora writers. Around fifty writers joined me to write, talk, and maybe even get some words down in this time. Because of the number of attendees, I decided to break everyone out into smaller rooms for writing and another for general conversation—like a hotpot! Thank you for everyone who came out for this experiment. I’ve decided to host Hotpot again next month on November 14.
In many ways, Hotpot is an extension of the antiracist pedagogy I’ve been thinking about since I started teaching back in fall 2020. It’s not a productive writing space—it’s a space to play, to try out the waters, and my hope is that one day, trust might come between those who attend, trust that is so crucial for the intellectual risk necessary to learn and grow individually and together.
