Tuesday, September 21st marked the day of the 2021 Moon Festival, an event that holds cultural significance for a variety of Asian cultures with slight variations in origin for different countries. What unifies this event is the celebration of the Autumn Harvest that coincides with the Harvest Moon.
Read MoreIn light of the tragedy within the AAPI community in Atlanta, we wish to share our thoughts with Regis University.
We, Asian Student Alliance, condemn this tragedy as a racially-charged hate crime fueled by white supremacy. This recent incident is one of many in a history of hate against the AAPI community, and unfortunately, the rhetoric in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased this discrimination and harassment. It has been reported that there were over 3,800 instances of discrimination in the past year (Stop AAPI Hate https://stopaapihate.org/reportsreleases). Types of discrimination include verbal harrassment, physical asaault, civil rights violations, and online harassment.
At the heart of this issue is the model minority myth. This myth perpetuates the idea that Asian people have more privilege than other people of color. This creates tension between communities of color and blindsides us from the real issue, which is white supremacy. The model minority myth was originally a political tool used by white supremcists who claimed that racism doesn’t exist—since Asians were a “successful” people of color, hardships among other communities of color were attributed to laziness. This is a false and harmful claim because it leads to other issues, including the segregation of education amongst East Asians and South East Asians. It also covers up the racist past of the US Government and ignores how white supremacy has used Asian people as a scapegoat for previous immigration and job issues, as was evident in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
The rhetoric that blamed COVID-19 on Asian countries has created a bigger target on our backs, especially for those in the elderly community because they are considered an easier target. Again, this feeds into the harmful myth that Asian people will not fight back because they are considered non-confrontational. Scapegoating the AAPI community in this way has clear and deadly consequences.
For this reason, we are disheartened by the portrayal of this attack as motivated by a “sex addiction” rather than race. In reality, these issues are interconnected. The AAPI community has endured decades of stereotyping, all of which have caused the AAPI community to be perceived as foreign. This has caused a dangerous fetishization of Asian people that, as we saw already, can prove to be life-threatening. Asian women are especially at risk; Stop AAPI Hate reports that women in the AAPI community experienced 2.3 times more hate incidents when compared to AAPI men. Reducing the problem to a “sex addiction” prevents us from addressing the real issues at hand. We must instead address the harassment these women have faced and the reasoning behind it.
Furthermore, we are disheartened by the claim that this was simply a “bad day” for the domestic terrorist who attacked the parlor in Georgia. This excuse minimizes the devastation of this attack. As a society, we have witnessed how women are forced to internalize their “bad days.” Meanwhile, men are excused for committing hate crimes on their “bad days.” Neither outlet should be accepted.
We understand that this is not an easy subject to talk about. Our best recommendation is listening. We want our voices to be both heard and echoed. The best help you can provide is through extending our message to others. The Asian community has already spent decades suffering from stereotypes that encouraged us to stay quiet.
This is true of other communities of color, too; however, we wish to address that this issue should not be compared to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Our problems and communities each suffer from our own struggles and histories. Forcing a comparison between the two can downplay the realities that both communities face.
We don’t expect you to relate to the issues we have shared with regards to the AAPI community, but we plead for recognition in a society that has tried to silence us. We are optimistic that the rest of the university will follow suit in our call to action. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. May their memories live on through the actions we take to become a better country. #STOPAAPIHATE
Resources:
https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
We, as the leadership of Asian Student Alliance, request that our learning environments remain inhospitable towards hateful speech, including but not limited to:
● “Wuhan virus”
● “Chinese/China virus”
● “Kung flu”
● Threats or demands that individuals “go” or “return” to other countries
While we understand the importance of freedom of speech and expression, we believe these terms endanger the safety and wellbeing of our students. These terms create association between a deadly disease and a specific identity, fueling stigmatization that puts an entire community at risk.
We ask that faculty prevent, address, and eliminate the use of these terms in favor of scientific, universally-accepted names such as COVID-19, etc. This will ensure a safer, more productive learning environment for everyone. Furthermore, this will demonstrate our university’s intolerance towards hate, bias, prejudice, and racism.
We also stress the importance of reporting incidents in which these terms are used, regardless of whether they are targeted at a specific individual/group. Only by reporting can we obtain the data necessary to form effective solutions in the future. The bias incident form for Regis University can be accessed using the following link: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?RegisUniv&layout_id=4
As a Jesuit institution, Regis University is committed to cura personalis—encouraging care and concern for the whole person—and we believe our request will help uphold this value in our learning environments. We are grateful, in advance, for your efforts to promote equality at Regis University.
Regis University Asian Student Alliance
Learn more about Regis Affinity groups and why they exist.
Read More