A 7-year-old girl known as LittleGray experienced racism from her classmates during a Zoom meeting. The classmate in question was a friend of hers, who said during the meeting that he “doesn’t like China and Chinese people.”
Although LittleGray’s teacher did what she could to diffuse the situation, the damage was done and the hurt couldn’t be taken away. So, LittleGray’s mom encouraged her to write a letter about her feelings. Her letter, in its entirety below, reads:
When we did the Zoom meeting someone said that he doesn’t like China and Chinese people. This made me feel sad because he was my friend and I’m Chinese. I hope he will stop telling people that because it’s mean and wrong. It’s wrong because he doesn’t know what he is saying. No one knows how the virus started for sure. When you say that you don’t like Chinese people, your [sic] saying that you do not like me. I did not start this virus. Thank you for being my friend.
News of LittleGray’s experience spread and soon, it was picked up by media outlets, such as the Today Show.
Asian American Girl Club also picked up on LittleGray’s story and they started the movement #AAGCLettersOfLove (Asian American Girl Club Letters Of Love).
LittleGray’s letter and show of compassion and understanding toward her classmate has inspired others to continue the conversation with love and understanding.
If you’re interested in taking part in #AAGCLettersOfLove, you can DM your letter to Asian American Girl Club or use their hashtag! If you’d prefer sending in a video message, they are accepting entries that are a minute or less.
