All of us at the Colleges of the Fenway stand in solidarity with the Asian Community, condemning the hate crimes that are being perpetuated against Asian immigrants and individuals of Asian descent.
A few weeks ago we celebrated the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr at the annual COF MLK, Jr. Breakfast. At times such as these it behooves us to remember what Dr. King said about injustice:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
This needs to stop. This past Tuesday, eight individuals were murdered in the Atlanta, Georgia area. We say and remember their names: Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; Yong Ae Yue, 63; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44.
The world has seen a disgusting rise of hate incidents against the AAPI amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our nation has been pained and our communities are reeling by these incessant acts of violence, discrimination, and hate against our BIPOC communities. While the social constructs of racism, misogyny and xenophobia have been with us for centuries, it can and must stop with us. What has been constructed, can be deconstructed, with intention and commitment.
As institutions of higher education, we believe that education is an essential tool for leading change. To that end we want to invite and encourage you to participate in any of the programs across the COF campuses that are occurring in response to anti-Asian violence. We also encourage you to take advantage of a number of resources. These resources are intended to provide education, awareness, and empowerment and some offer techniques for violence prevention and intervention.
- 18 Million Rising: Join an online community of Asian Americans and allies in collaborative communities and action campaigns.
- Massachusetts Asian American Commission: View the AAC’s Resources for Violence Against Asians (aacommission.org)
- Anti-Asian Violence Resources Carrd – https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
- Campu: A Podcast: Learn about the history of anti-Asian racism in the USA via a podcast telling stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII through symbolic objects.
- Hate Is A Virus: Hate Is A Virus is a nonprofit community of mobilizers and amplifiers that exists to dismantle racism and hate https://hateisavirus.org/
- Learn how to intervene when you see others being harassed: https://www.afsc.org/bystanderintervention
- Register for a Hollaback! Bystander Intervention Training (Advancing Justice – AAJC)
- Report incidents of discrimination, harassment, and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through Stop AAPI Hate
- RSVP to the APIsCAN Town Hall on March 25 at 6pm to learn how the MA AAPI community is organizing against racism.
- #TheyCantBurnUsAll is a movement to activate all Asians and allies to stand up and fight back against hate crimes and racism: #TheyCantBurnUsAll
- Uplift mental health resources for the AAPI community: Asian Mental Health Collective | Racial Trauma Toolkit
- We are not a stereotype: A video series for classroom teachers breaking down AAPI bias and racism. MA own 2020 Teacher of the Year, Takeru Nagayoshi, is featured in several videos.
We must be engaged, or we will fail in effectuating the change we hope for.
COF Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Jeff Smith, Emmanuel College
Sr. Bárbara Gutiérrez, SNDdeN, Emmanuel College
Lyssa Palu-ay, MassArt
Julia Golden, MCPHS University
Gary Bailey, Simmons University
Sharron Credle, Simmons University
Alex Cabal, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Nicole Price, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Claire Ramsbottom, COF