I am writing to express my concerns about creating a safe school environment. I am the president and founder of GBN’s Korean Connections Club. Recently, we held an all-school event — our annual open forum discussion about multicultural identity in America, involving a diverse panel of students and faculty to speak about their experiences, as well as a small group discussion. We are very proud of the success of the event, which drew upwards 100 people and received positive feedback from both students and teachers.

However, this letter is not about the event itself. I am writing this letter to call attention to one of the flyers advertising the event. The Monday before the open forum, a poster was found to have been defaced with a swastika, and the phrase “f— gooks.” The swastika is a symbol that is unfortunately familiar to most of us as an icon of hate and intolerance for racial and ethnic difference. The term “gook,” while perhaps not as well-known, is a word that invokes a similar sentiment — it is a racial slur used to degrade those of Asian descent, first used during the Vietnam War and the Korean War, when American soldiers often referred to enemy soldiers as “gooks.” (The slur originates from the second syllable of the Korean word for Korea, “hangook.”)

The club and I understand that the vast majority of the GBN community would be appalled by such rhetoric, but despite that, there are still members of the community who share the same bigoted and hateful sentiments as the person who defaced this flyer. Part of the mission of my club, as well as the other culturally-oriented clubs at GBN, is to combat ignorance at all levels. The open forum was designed to do just that — to encourage a more supportive, understanding, and safe school community.

But these clubs cannot alone carry the entirety of this responsibility. That is why the KCC board and I want to call upon the whole of the GBN community to help stand up for justice and equality. Challenge those who speak with the same hate and ignorance found in the rhetoric defacing this flyer. Speak up against racially-motivated jokes and stereotypes, even when it seems harmless. And support all of your peers and classmates — regardless of background, we are all part of this Glenbrook North community.

– senior Sarah Lee