There's been a lot of hate on TJAAG lately, and specifically on how it's a group of out-of-touch white folks hating on hard-working Asian-Americans. So please allow me (one of the many hard-working Asian-Americans in TJAAG) actually dispel that notion for you. Thread:

For those unfamiliar, TJAAG = TJ Alumni Action Group. We're a group of alumni organizing to improve TJ, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Depending on whom and when you ask, this is the #1 public high school in America

Attending the #1 public high school in the US comes with real benefits. Career advisors in college generally tell graduating seniors to leave high school off their resumes. Not so for TJ grads: our alma mater got us more referrals, interviews, and opportunities than we can count

When my husband and I attended TJ (Class of 2010), we had access to 3d printers and election microscopes. For my senior project, I got to work as part of a group researching lava flows on Mars while being mentored by a NASA Jet Propulsion Lab scientist. TJ is a special place

With that context, there's something people need to understand about TJ. It has a diversity problem. The number of black students accepted for the Class of 2024 was so small it couldn't be reported due to privacy concerns. Black and Hispanic enrollment has been abysmal for ages

This is despite TJ pulling from some of the most diverse school districts in Virginia. The subregion (and the actual applicant pool) are far more diverse than admittances would suggest. Moreover, the school vastly under-represents students on free and reduced lunch

The bottom line for recruitment is: if the result of what was supposed to be a race-blind, socioeconomic-blind process excludes entire segments of the population, then it's not really working, is it? Because there's some amazing missed talent in that underrepresented population

It's an argument well understood in my field (IR) for women. If all a country's politicians and scientists and entrepreneurs (etc) are men, then they are by default not selecting the best and brightest for leadership. Because some of the best and brightest will of course be women

I'm not saying TJ students didn't work hard or "earn" their spots. But there are certainly people with phenomenal potential who should have earned a spot but weren't given the chance. So the TJAAG is exploring how to make that opportunity--a TJ education--more accessible and fair

There's always a fixation on admissions, but the TJAAG and others are also trying to improve things for the existing student body. Many underrepresented minority students experience frankly appalling treatment by members of their own school community. It even causes some to leave

It's easy to say, "But I'm not racist! I/My child would never do that!" But you don't have to use a slur to uphold systemic racism. For everyone who mistreated one of those students, plenty stood by silently or contributed to an environment where that treatment was possible

At TJ, ideas are up for debate but the equal treatment of fellow human beings should never be. The TJAAG is also working to ensure anti-racism is reflected in TJ's curriculum and symbols. This will help retain under-represented minorities and show all are truly welcome there

TJ isn't just STEM. It prepares future leaders and innovators, and that preparation requires genuine diversity and inclusion. TJAAG pushes because we love and care about the future of TJ and--I cannot stress enough that this is the most important part--the people there

I'm just a new arrival to TJAAG, and I'm already blown away by their work. Like true TJ grads, we're working together, informing ourselves with research and the lived experiences of our peers, and not pretending to have all the answers. Some have been advocating for decades.

There's so much more I could say, but take it from this second-generation immigrant and proud Asian-American alumna: I stand with TJAAG. And I think whoever is reading this should, too. Thanks for reading!

#BlackLivesMatter #RepresentationMatters

@fcpsnews @VASecofEdu @RachnaHeizer @Megan4Schools
@Karen4Schools @stella_pekarsky @ElaineTholen @MelanieForEdu @LJ4fcps @Keys_Gamarra @Ricardy4Mason @KarlFrischFCPS

I hope you will take the time to read the above thread and hear one alumna's words on this issue. Thank you.

+ @FCPSSupt @GovernorVA