Dear Asian American Studies community,
We hope that you are all able to take care of yourselves today as we process the news of the killing of eight individuals in Atlanta Tuesday evening, six of whom were Asian. There is still much more to learn about these specific attacks, but as we all know, this is just the most recent in what has been a horrifying escalation of violence against Asians and Asian Americans across the country and the globe.
These attacks have left members of our community feeling unsafe and fearful for their lives. They have targeted the most vulnerable members of our community–including women, the elderly, and those already facing struggles such as food insecurity, healthcare inequalities, and unstable access to housing. As we have seen throughout history, so many incidents of anti-Asian hatred and abuse have gone unreported and unaddressed. But we know that these struggles are real, and that our community is experiencing deep grief, trauma, and pain.
Thank you to everyone who attended our series of events on Anti-Asian Racism last week, and to our partners at the APIDA Student Center for offering supportive discussion spaces throughout the semester. We are proud to be part of a community that is so committed to supporting each other through tough times, and so ready to provide context, education, and discussion. Feel free to share and make use of our list of Resources to Support Our APIDA Community.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you would like to discuss any of this further. We remain steadfast as ever in our commitment to providing support for the APIDA community on campus and fighting racism, sexism, and other forms of violence.