In light of the recent killings in Atlanta and the deaths of 8 people, 6 of whom were Asian women, we are writing to express our support and to stand in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. While white supremacist violence targeting AAPI communities has a long history in this country, we acknowledge that such incidents have increased recently, stoked in part by politicians' claims that China bears responsibility for the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past year, the organization Stop AAPI Hate has documented nearly 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian hate in the U.S., 68% of which targeted women. (This violence also takes more institutional forms, such as ICE's recent deportation of 33 Vietnamese refugees.) We understand the killings in Atlanta as occurring at the intersection of the racist sexualization of Asian women and the criminalization of immigrant and undocumented workers. We condemn these attacks against AAPI communities and we grieve alongside those suffering from this horrific act.

RLL DEI Committee