March 2021
Grief, sorrow, pain, anger – how many of us have felt this cycle of emotions over the past year? I am personally still struggling to fathom what occurred last week in Atlanta.
And yet, as difficult as it has been to process what’s been going on, I am cautiously hopeful from the public support we’ve been seeing from all corners of society: POTUS and proposed hate crime legislation, the UN Foundation, corporations from a wide variety of industries, and many more.
We are making ourselves seen and heard. We are raising our voices.
The University has not been silent either, and I wanted to share with you what has been occurring:
- On March 18, an email to students was sent from the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in collaboration with Dean Groves and AVP Springston, and with the full support of President Ryan, Provost Magill, and additional senior leadership of the University. The subject for the email was “Standing in Solidarity.” A version of this email has been posted on the University’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website, and on its social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Professor Sylvia Chong initiated a letter signed by a wide swath of the UVA community, including students, faculty, alumni, and staff. This letter was provided to President Ryan, Kevin McDonald (VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), Dean Baucom of the College, and the Office of the Provost, and expresses the distress and concerns for the community at UVA.
- The University’s various Asian/Asian American student organizations also provided a statement expressing their devastation and suggestions for action.
- On March 21, President Ryan made a statement of solidarity, available on his various social media accounts via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and shared by the University’s official accounts on Twitter, Instagram (Stories), and Facebook
Frequently mentioned resources that are worth checking out are Professor Sylvia Chong’s recent piece in UVA Today exploring Asian and Asian American history at UVA and ASU’s research on APIDA students at UVA. In addition, Professor Chong has compiled a list of Asian American advocacy and mutual aid organizations that may be of interest to you.
As for me, I share with you the excerpt above from Adrienne Maree Brown’s “radical gratitude spell.”
And finally, for some uplift to your day, I encourage you to check out Chinatown Pretty, a project that celebrates the “ingenuity, flair, and beauty” of the vicarious senior citizens that live in Chinatowns across North America. There’s a book, and they’re also available on Instagram and Facebook.
If you have thoughts, stories, or feedback for AAPAAN or the University, we are here for you. Feel free to drop me a note at rosezu@alumni.virginia.edu.
Take care of yourselves and each other,
Rose Zu
University of Virginia Alum (McIntire & College, 2012)
Board Chair, Asian and Asian Pacific American Alumni Network