As Academic Year Concludes, Addressing Anti-Asian Racism Remains Priority

As the collegiate semester winds down and in-person commencement ceremonies hint at a return to near-normalcy, the past year, and particularly the past few months, have ongoing ramifications for the University of Connecticut’s Asian-American community, as is true on campuses and in communities across the country.

A  joint statement issued during the semester by The Executive Board of the Association for Asian American Faculty and Staff, The Asian American Cultural Center and The Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, highlight the concerns, and the University’s place in ongoing efforts to promote inclusion and achieve equity.

The organizations point out that “At UConn, there are thousands who identify as Asian and Asian American: 12.7% of the University’s workforce (faculty, staff, administrators, and graduate assistants; Fall 2019), and 10.5% of our students (Fall 2020). In addition, a significant percentage of our international students come from Asian countries.”

They issued “a call for solidarity and commitment, awareness and understanding, attention and action,” urging UConn’s leadership to:

·         formally recognize that anti-racist work must account for the historical legacy and impact of racism on all peoples of color, including Asians.

·         condemn recent acts of violence against Asians, but also consciously recognize the impact that these acts have on our UConn family.

“Even during the unprecedented times we are living through now—battling the Covid-19 pandemic; addressing the scourge of systemic racism; and navigating economic insecurity and inequity for millions of people—we ask the UConn Administration to see that this is exactly the right time to ensure, specifically and concretely, that the lens of justice sees all shades of Yellow, Black, and Brown.”

Looking back to the beginning of last year, the statement reflects that “The first cases of Covid-19 in the United States were reported in January 2020, and since that time there has been a massive increase in anti-Asian violence across the United States. STOP AAPI HATE notes that hundreds and sometimes thousands of reported incidents occur every month. They report that incidents of verbal attacks, avoidance, physical assault, online harassment, and being spit upon are the most common forms.”  “Nationally, the statement continues “attacks are most common in businesses, public streets and sidewalks, parks, online and in public transit, but they also happen here at UConn.”

The statement aims to:

·         draw appropriate attention to the intensifying violence against Asians in America;

·         formally state our position in this ongoing conflict of systems, cultures, histories, and sensibilities;

·         call upon faculty, staff, administrators, and all UConn students and stakeholders to rise to the challenge of actively opposing racism and hate against Asians, all marginalized groups, and all peoples of color.

According to the organizations, UConn’s commitment to combatting anti-Asian racism began in 1987 with an episode of students’ verbal attacks and spitting on other Asian American peers.

“What can we say has changed in 33 years? Certainly, our resolve and commitment to the community has only strengthened in these decades, while the number of Asians and Asian Americans at the University has grown significantly.”

They called for “solidarity and commitment, awareness and understanding, attention and action,” emphasizing that “all of this has impacted us, the Asians and Asian Americans at UConn. What is happening is wrong and we must stand together to not only identify and call-out this kind of behavior and its bad actors; but we must work systemically and synergistically to change culpable aspects of our university and society, to ultimately eradicate this malignancy.”

Additionally, the statement noted that the Asian American organizations “refuse to wear the moniker of the ‘model minority.’ Because of this racial stereotype, Asian Americans are too often left out of discussions of racial justice, thus ignoring our pain, minimizing our feelings, and assuming a passive response.”   

They also signaled a strong intention to “combat racism, stifle prejudice, and ultimately deconstruct the systems and structures at our university and within society that uphold the American caste system where all shades darker than white are consciously and subconsciously considered less-than.”

The organizations also hosted a webinar during the semester, Asians in America: Anti-Asian Violence & the Fight Against Invisibility, discussing the issues, which can be seen here.