Broward graduate decries Asian-American prejudice in speech, is criticized for antisemitism

A Broward student’s heartfelt graduation speech about discrimination against Asian-Americans took a step into the tumultuous politics of the Middle East, resulting in complaints to the principal and an apology from the school district.

Rachel Cheng, who gave the speech during the graduation ceremony for Western High School in Davie on June 8, detailed racism she has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. She offered shout-outs to her friends who also have faced discrimination, including African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and her “Middle Eastern peers, who have been facing struggle after struggle and are in constant fear of their families and friends being struck down by a militant government, who have had their land stolen and abused. I applaud you.”

Asian-Americans have faced a surge of harassment and physical assaults during the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by rhetoric that blames China for unleashing the virus. At the same time, a recent breakout of violence in Israel and Gaza has prompted antisemitism against Jews around the world.

It may not have been her intention, but both crises collided during the four-minute discourse.

“I am not here to give a political speech,” said Cheng, the school’s salutatorian. “However, as the only person of color student standing before you today, I’m not going to stand here and give a lofty speech about how great high school was and how amazing college will be for us.”

She recounted several instances of racism she has experienced, including being “chased out of Walgreen’s” in March 2020 because “they did not want, and I quote, ‘China virus’ people in the store.”

She said it was a coincidence she was graduating in 2021, because “21 is also the number of times that I was called ‘chink’ in the one week time frame before our school went online from COVID-19.”

“As an East Asian female living in America, it has been an absolute nightmare,” she said.

A video of the ceremony shows some audience members responding to her comments about the Middle East with jeering and whistling. Cheng began speaking louder so she could be heard.

Although Cheng never mentioned Israel and later in her speech referred to antisemitism as a form of bigotry, some supporters of Israel have been criticizing Cheng and urged followers to protest to Broward County school board members.

An “action alert” from the Zionist Organization of America said Cheng “spewed lies about Israel in her speech that crossed the line into antisemitism.”

“She was referring to the only Jewish State among the 22 surrounding Arab nations, and the only Democracy in the Middle East, Israel,” the alert said. “According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), demonizing and applying a standard on Israel that is not applied to any other country is a form of antisemitism. During her speech, Ms. Cheng also left Jews out when she listed minorities that have been victims of hate crimes, even though Jews are the most targeted of any religious minorities.”

The Anti-Defamation League and other groups have documented a surge in antisemitic incidents in the United States during and after recent fighting in Israel and Gaza. A survey found that 60% of respondents “witnessed behavior or comments they deem antisemitic either online or in-person as a result of the recent violence.”

Rabbi Eliot Pearlson of Temple Menorah in Miami Beach said several members of his congregation were in the audience and were deeply offended by Cheng’s words. He urged his congregation to write to Broward school board members.

“I commend her for sharing her experience, but I call into question her one-sided empathy,” Pearlson told the Sun Sentinel. “She is ignoring the fact that this is a complicated issue. I don’t blame her as much as I blame the school. She’s the victim of a poor education process. The school should re-evaluate its sensitivity training.”

The incident drew the attention of NextShark, an Asian-American news site. The site shared hateful comments Cheng has received, including: “Your country has brought the coronavirus that destroyed a whole world” and “Your future is dry-cleaning and ironing clothes.”

Cheng’s Instagram account shows many supportive comments, such as “Everything you said was necessary, thank you for giving a voice to those who have been silenced. You made us all proud that night” and “Don’t listen to the negative comments. What you did was powerful.”

She did not respond to emails or Instagram messages on Tuesday.

As salutatorian, Cheng had the second highest grade point average in her class. She graduated with a 5.5833 GPA. Although the highest GPA is usually 4.0, her high score shows she took many college-level courses, which Western Principal Jimmy Arrojo said during the ceremony included 15 Advanced Placement classes.

Arrojo did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. Broward school board member Lori Alhadeff said Arrojo and his staff should examine how the incident happened. She said the administration had read and approved the speech before the ceremony.

“I call on the leadership at Western High School to publicly condemn and apologize for the antisemitism that was given a platform at the 2021 graduation,” she said in an email to the Sun Sentinel.

The Broward school district apologized to the Jewish community, while stating it “supports and encourages students’ freedom of speech and expression.”

“A student speech during last week’s graduation included reference to conflict in the Middle East, which has caused hurt in our community,” said a statement from the office of Kathy Koch, chief communications officer. “This has affected the Jewish community deeply in a climate where antisemitism is on the rise. The District apologizes for how this has alienated Jewish residents and others in Broward County.”

Cheng graduated with several academic distinctions, including Art Club President; American Sign Language Historian; National Merit Scholar Nominee; AP Scholar with Distinction; and recipient of an AP Capstone Diploma, a 2018/2019 Congressional Art Award and a 2021 Broward Superintendent Art Award.

She also put in 266 hours of volunteer work and worked part-time at Poke Ramen Asian Soul Kitchen in Davie. She is headed to the University of Florida to study architecture.

In an Instagram post on June 13, Cheng expressed gratitude to supporters who have reached out to her after her speech.

“rachel cheng is back,” she wrote, “and i still stand by every single thing i said in my salutatorian speech.”