Asian-American leader addresses upper school
Winnie Tang, president of Florida Asian Services, has worked to get anti-Asian legislation repealed. She has offered naturalization assistance to Asian immigrants, provided information about voter registration and spoken out against anti-Asian violence. She currently hosts a weekly radio show ACE (Asian Caribbean Exchange) Talk.
For some 25 years, Tang has been an unrelenting community advocate in South Florida, and on April 12, she shared her experience and insights with Ransom Everglades upper school students during a virtual assembly. She was introduced by RE’s Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement Carla Hill.
Tang’s visit to Ransom Everglades, part of the school’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, came in advance of Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month in May, and in the aftermath of a rise in attacks on Asian Americans across the nation.
“We are really finding something that we can’t just sit watching, what is happening to us,” Tang explained. “We want to really educate the community.”
A Chinese-American who arrived to the United States from Macau at 17, Tang has received a number of significant recognitions, including the Association for Asian American Studies Community Leader Award, the Florida Commission on the Status of Women Florida Achievement Award, and the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation In the Company of Women Award.
In her 30-minute presentation, she surveyed the history of Asian-Americans in the United States and Florida, explaining that she never liked learning history until she realized how important it was to communities in the present day. Tang, the vice president of the Asian American Federation of Florida, also emphasized the importance of engagement in legal and political affairs.
“It’s very important that we are not just working in the community," she said, but also "that we are also engaging in the government and political process."
Middle School
2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 250 6850
Upper School
3575 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 460 8800
Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.