A bill now in Congress would bring the problem of biased based bullying in our schools out into the open.
According to SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together) the Safe Schools Improvement Act would require schools and school districts to collect and publicize data about incidents of bullying and harassment. No longer would schools be able to sweep the problem under the rug.
“Personally, I was very distressed growing up seeing more and more Sikh children facing such gruesome bullying incidents,” said a blogger identified as Manpreet and published by SAALT. He told the story of his brother being grabbed from behind by his turban by the same group of kids who had been taunting him all week.
Asian Americans report more incidents of bullying than any other ethnic group. South Asian Americans are no different. The New York City Department of Education and the Sikh Coalition reported in 2007 that in Queens alone, 77.5 percent of young Sikh men report being harassed.
Darren Criss of Glee fame is among a host of celebrities to support the Friends Movement, an organization with the mission of showing positive anti-bully images through art and media.
A federal Safe Schools Improvement Act would benefit all Asian Americans.
