SF School Board VP Apologizes For Tweets Aimed At Asian Americans

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A recent surge in crimes related to anti-Asian hate crimes has placed California communities on edge. In the Bay Area, there are calls for the vice president of the San Francisco Unified School District to resign and apologize for past tweets aimed at Asian Americans.

On Saturday, Alison Collins, whose controversial 2016 tweets recently resurfaced, released a statement on her personal website and on Twitter addressing the matter and stating that her social media posts were "taken out of context" and were from a different time.

Collins used the slur "tiger mom" in a 2016 tweet referring to Asian Americans and accused Asian communities of using white supremacy to get ahead.

"President Donald Trump had just won an election fueled by division, racism and an anti-immigration agenda," Collins wrote. "Meanwhile, one of my daughters had recently experienced an incident in her school in which her Asian American peers were taunting her Latinx classmate about 'sending kids back to Mexico' and the KKK.

"It was a time of processing, of fear among many communities with the unknown of how the next four years would unfold."

Jenny Lam, the school board's only Chinese American member, released a statement on Friday, calling for Collins' resignation and asking her to issue a public apology.

"Among our students, 40 percent are Asian American and Pacific Islander," Lam wrote. "Collins must address her racist comments. Instead, her refusal to apologize takes time and energy away from our work at the district."

Collins apologized for her tweets Saturday, which were not been deleted.

"Words have meaning and impact. Trump showed us that clearly with his sowing of hate and pitting communities of color against one another for political gain," Collins wrote. "I acknowledge that right now, in this moment my words taken out of context can be causing more pain for those who are already suffering. For the pain my words may have caused I am sorry, and I apologize unreservedly."

Collins added that she had recently spoken with leaders in the Asian American community. "I acknowledge the pain they are feeling," she said.

The news comes as several hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community were reported in the Bay Area, particularly against elderly residents.

A recent report released by Stop AAPI Hate recorded 3,795 incidents of harassment and assault toward Asian Americans in the U.S. between Feb. 28 and March 19.

What's more, an analysis of police department statistics revealed that hate crimes targeting Asian Americans rose by almost 150 percent in 2020. The study was released by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.

Collins' tweets can be viewed here:

Hey Twitter! Does anyone know about any news stories highlighting hate speech or bullying of Asian students? Please send them my way.
— Alison Collins 高勵思 (@AliMCollins) December 4, 2016