Skip to content
Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity

Statement on Anti-AAPI Violence and Racism

From University of Washington VP for the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity and University Diversity Officer, Rickey Hall

 

A national conversation about hate, racism, and violence perpetrated against members of the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities has taken place in recent weeks. The conversations were accentuated with the murders of Asian women in the Atlanta area this week. My heart goes out to the families of the victims, to the survivors, and to the communities affected by these incidents. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have seen a distressing rise in anti-Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander rhetoric and violence. The Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity and I, as well as University of Washington leadership stand in solidarity with our AAPI students, faculty, and staff, and condemn in the strongest terms possible all forms of identity-based violence. Many students and parents have reached out to me this week because their fears of increased violence, racism, and discrimination were borne out this week on a national stage. Some students tell me they are more afraid now than ever to walk the campus at night or to walk alone in the University District. Parents tell me they worry about the safety of their students because of the hateful and racist language used toward AAPI communities over the past year. In a statement on the events in Atlanta President Cauce delivered a call to action, “We must commit ourselves as a society to eradicating the despicable racism that inspires such terrible violence.”

Report

To combat racism and violence, it is paramount that we call it out and report it when we see it. The University and local law enforcement are encouraging all individuals to report violence and incidents of bias.

  • For emergencies dial 911. Non emergencies contact SafeCampus (washington.edu), UW Campus Police, or the local police department, whichever you are most comfortable with.
  • If you see incidents of bias, please use the Bias Reporting Tool to help the university address such incidents.
  • StopAAPI Hate – Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) have launched this reporting center to allow community members to report incidents of hate they have experienced.
  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice is tracking incidents of bias. By sharing what you experienced or witnessed, you can educate the public, empower others, show service providers where help is needed, and strengthen advocacy efforts for hate crimes response and prevention.

Education

Learn more about hate, racism, and identity-based violence and how to combat them.

Self-Care and Mental Health

The University has on-campus resources for your mental health and counseling at the UW Counseling Center. Asking for help can be a sign of strength.

In the wake of the horrible murders of eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent – amid a pandemic where many are grieving loss – among a national reckoning of racism, discrimination, and violence meant to stoke more fear and deeper division – we cannot give up on our pursuit of a more just, and a more equitable future. I echo President Cauce in her directive to confront racism and violence head on and meet it with the education and resources needed to facilitate real, lasting, and impactful change.

Find out more about the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity.