BOE Candidate Z. Lisa Potter Calls for Standing Up to Bullies, Unity in Princeton
To the Editor:
During this election cycle, rumors are circulating that the two Asian candidates for BOE are racist. These accusations are not just absurd — they are divisive and dangerous. Whispered within the community, they sow distrust and disconnection. People I once considered friends now avoid my gaze. Neighbors have grown distant, treating me like an outsider in a place where I’ve worked hard to serve and belong.
This smear campaign feels eerily familiar. When my family first arrived in America, we lived in a rough part of Hollywood. My mother, a single parent who didn’t speak English, worked as a housekeeper in Beverly Hills. My brother and I stayed in a motel, watched over by an auntie who provided us with a foothold in this new life.
One day, three teenage siblings blocked our way home from school. They called us “chinks,” mimicking Chinese accents with cruel voices that still linger in my memory. The next day, I tried a longer route home — 45 minutes instead of 15 — bypassing pimps, prostitutes, and junkies. This was not sustainable.
Eventually, we asked Lynn, the only other Asian student at school, for help. Though she was Vietnamese, and we didn’t speak the same language, she understood. I told her, “If bullies come, you run. Go get help.” She did. After that day, the bullies never returned. Most importantly, I learned a valuable lesson: You have to stand up to bullies.
Today, I am standing up again. The bullies look different, but their tactics are the same — using fear and lies to block people. These self-appointed leaders fear losing power. They demand explanations from us while offering no proof to support their accusations. It’s gaslighting — flipping the narrative to make victims look like the aggressors.
This smear campaign isn’t just an attack on me personally — it undermines everything that I’ve built. As an HR professional, I’ve spent my career fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) —creating spaces where everyone belongs. Being accused of racism not only is insulting; it’s a direct attack on my integrity and life’s work. These bullies have no regard for the impact on my children or my family.
Bullying has consequences. It teaches children that intimidation is acceptable, feeding the mental health crisis we see today.
When I entered this race, I learned that Asian Americans are labeled “adjacent white” — supposedly too privileged to need inclusion. It’s a label that erases the struggles that my family and I endured, reducing us to outsiders once again.
This isn’t the Princeton I believe in, and I know this isn’t the Princeton most of us want. DE&I isn’t a term you twist to decide who belongs — it should mean that everyone belongs.
On Election Day, I ask you to stand with me. Vote for candidates who believe in unity and authenticity — not those who divide us with fear and lies. Together, let’s build a Princeton where everyone has a place, and no one needs to fight alone.