04.10.08
Press Release: Organization of Chinese Americans
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Elizabeth R. OuYang, Executive Vice President, 718-596-0143
Vicki Shu Smolin, President, 646-263-6044
OCA-NY CONDEMNS ACTIONS BY NEW YORK CITY SPELLING BEE ORGANIZERS
April 10, 2008 - Today, the Organization of Chinese Americans, New York
Chapter (OCA-NY) condemned an incident where a Chinese American student
was denied the right to participate in a city-wide spelling bee, after
she was told she had qualified.
On January 29, 2008, Ariel Leung, a PS 124 student from District 2
qualified for the city-wide spelling bee, after having placed 7th in the
Manhattan borough spelling bee. The final 8 contestants were told they
had all qualified to advance to the city-wide spelling bee and parents
were told they would be notified once the details of the event were
finalized.
On March 5, 2008, PS 124 librarian, Ms. Albert, learned that the
spelling bee would be taking place on March 13 and asked Ariel’s mother,
Ms. Li Wen Mo, if she had received the notice of the event. As it
turned out, Ms. Mo was not notified and the spelling bee operation
manager simply said Ariel did not qualify. PS 124 Principal, Ms. Hom,
then contacted the spelling bee organizers to obtain to arrange for Ms.
Mo to listen to the tape. Mo found the exact location on the tape that
indicated her daughter’s qualification to compete. When confronted on
this fact, the operation manager stated that the organizer had made a
mistake and that the ultimate decision on who would move forward should
have been made by the judges and told Ms. Mo that Ariel would not be
able to compete as it would mean another student would have been kicked
off.
It was at this point that OCA-NY Executive Vice President, Elizabeth R.
OuYang, who also is a civil rights attorney, intervened. Ms. OuYang
contacted the attorney representing the spelling bee and insisted that
the tape of the January 29 competition be preserved and that given the
evidence on the tape, Ariel Leung should be allowed to compete in the
city-wide spelling bee. With one-days’ notice, the organizers of the
spelling bee allowed Ariel to compete. As it turned out, a student who
DID NOT finish in the top 8 at the Manhattan competition was competing
at the city-wide event, in addition to Ariel.
In an April 8, 2008 letter to Joel Klein, Chancellor of the Department
of Education, Vicki Shu Smolin, President of OCA-NY wrote, “As you and
Mayor Bloomberg both can agree, access to quality education,
participation by parents and a healthy spirit of competition, along with
support from the Department of Education and the community, are
essential to the academic and psychological growth of our city’s youth.
This incident highlighted the achievement of a student, the tenacity of
a parent, the support of the school and the backing of the community,
but the breakdown somewhere was somewhere in the administration.”
“The manner in which Ms. Mo was treated by the organizers was
appalling,” stated Liz OuYang, Executive Vice President of OCA-NY.
“They did not notify her of the date of the city-wide competition, then
they were trying to convince Ms. Mo her daughter did not make it when
she herself was at the competition and it was caught on tape. It sends
the wrong message to the Chinese American community, a message that
implies that Chinese immigrant parents are stupid and can be taken
advantage of. More Chinese parents like Ms. Mo must assert their rights
or they will be treated like second class citizens.”
Comments Ms. Mo, “They need to be more responsible. They need to treat
parents with respect and not with an attitude that they can do whatever
they want. It is not fair that anyone has to go through what I did. I
do not want it to happen to anyone else.”
-END-
Founded in 1973, OCA is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization
dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of
Asian Pacific Americans. With a national headquarters in Washington DC
and over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country, OCA embraces the
hopes and aspirations of the nearly 12 million Americans of Chinese and
Asian/Pacific Islander ancestry in the United States. The New York
Chapter was founded in 1976.
OCA-NY is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax
deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
OCA, “Embracing the Hopes and Aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans.”