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A Statement from Chancellor Subbaswamy: The Growing Wave of Anti-Asian Racism Must Be Confronted and Defeated
Dear Campus Community,
I write to you today with a heavy heart in the wake of the horrific violence we witnessed in Atlanta yesterday.
While the perpetrator denies that the violence was racially inspired, what can’t be denied is that the shootings raise alarms about the growing wave of anti-Asian racism that has swept our country since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Increasingly, Asian-Americans find themselves victims of violence and discrimination, and we must acknowledge their concern and fear over this increasingly hostile climate. According to Stop AAPI Hate, a group formed last March to combat discrimination against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders during the pandemic, there were more than 3,800 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders reported nationwide over the past year. This rising tide of racism and the violence that has followed is an undeniable reality that we as a society must confront and defeat.
We condemn, in the strongest terms, hate and intolerance in all its forms and stand in solidarity with Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander members of our community.
For information on campus efforts to confront the challenges of racism in our own community visit: https://www.umass.edu/diversity/antiracism-resources
Resources for members of our campus community who need support can be found at:
Center for Counseling and Psychological Health
Together, every one of us must call out acts of racism and bias when we see them in our daily lives and work to build a more inclusive and just society.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy