We mourn the heart-wrenching events that occurred on March 16th in Atlanta, Georgia, which expose the depth of anti-Asian racism and gun violence in America. Just a little over a week ago, the faculty of Centre College voted unanimously in support of the following resolution against Anti-Asian racism and violence, which has now taken an even more devastating turn this week. We take this moment to share the language broadly and recommit ourselves with urgency to combating anti-Asian racism in all of its insidious forms.
As we mark a year since the start of Centre’s pandemic response, the faculty acknowledges that hate crimes against Asian and Asian-Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in America have risen by an alarming rate of 150% during that time. Over 2800 incidents have been documented by groups tracking hate crimes against Asians in America between March and December of 2020. Further, recent incidents in the Centre library included xenophobic and racist slurs and symbols that have made our underrepresented and international students feel increasingly insecure and unwelcome.
We know all too well that such acts have not emerged out of a vacuum. In light of the precipitous rise of anti-Asian/Asian Pacific Islander racism and violence over this past year, we the faculty stand in solidarity with Asian and Asian-American students, faculty, and staff at Centre College.
We condemn, in the strongest terms, all forms of anti-Asian racism and violence that have risen out of nativism and xenophobia at Centre, nationally, and globally. We unequivocally reject these ideas and perspectives and will support our Asian and Asian-American communities by working to combat anti-Asian racism and violence in all its forms.