The murders of Asian descended people in Atlanta last week represents violence and control of non-White bodies commonplace in this country’s history. From US imperialism abroad, to our legacy of Asian exclusions and internments and use of such dehumanizing terms as “Yellow Peril,” acts of right-wing domestic terrorism threaten all our lives. In fact, the Atlanta attack falls exactly fifty-three years after the Mỹ Lai massacre of 500 Vietnamese civilians by US troops.

As we mourn loss of life in Atlanta, Africana Studies Institute faculty declare unequivocal solidarity with Asian-descended peoples in the United States and uphold their right to freedom from all White supremacist acts, especially unchecked sexualized and gendered social pathologies that dehumanize and erase the experiences of Asian American women.  Even as media attention inevitably wanes on the exponential rise in anti-Asian violence, ASI faculty are committed to equality, respect, and dignity for all people. We are deeply concerned and angered by the targeting, mistreatment, and even killing of our Asian descent brothers and sisters. We urge the UConn community to repudiate anti-Asian violence and stand behind the leadership of Asian descended community members. The Asian American Faculty and Staff Association at UConn already has provided this leadership via its Statement on Anti-Asian Violence. We call on UConn administrators to make elimination of racial violence their highest priority and to partner with Asian descended community members to do so.

 

Africana Studies Institute Faculty