Talking about the impact of learning Ojibwemowin, the importance of language revitalization and the role of language in grieving, and hopes for an expansive Ojibwemowin curriculum in Minnesota schools.
“The term Critical Race Theory is being used as a catch-all for people’s fears and anxieties. This has been happening forever. It is odd that it is working.”
I do not want to keep having marches to remember these beautiful women and relatives because something awful happened to them. We have to be proactive.
The state has been “headed in the same direction for 162 years. Trying to turn the ship is a tall order, but we are in a moment where we have to get it done. If folks are not willing to be in that work with us, then they just have to get out of the way.”
From a student, to a school administrative manager at Minneapolis Public Schools Hmong International Academy, to chairwoman of the St. Paul Board of Education, Xiong was an advocate for education.
My hope is that more educators and educational leaders realize how white supremacy is embedded in our educational system and how to best support students of color with these barriers, including advocating for the retention of teachers of color.
“If [children] see only reflections of themselves, they will grow up with an exaggerated sense of their own importance and value in the world. A dangerous ethnocentrism.”
“We women turn things inside out and set things right. We salvage what we can of human garments and piece the rest into blankets.
— Louise Erdrich, “Four Souls”
