The brutal murders of eight people in Atlanta this week – six of them Asian women – have stunned our nation and left our UCLA community grieving. Coming amid a pandemic year underscored by traumatic racial tension and a rising tide of hate incidents targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander people, the events of recent weeks have raised fears and emotions and left many of us looking for answers and information.
To help meet that need, the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion has gathered a wide range of resources for those seeking information, support and services. The RISE Center at UCLA has also published a guide to Self-Care Amongst Racial Injustice and Trauma.
For those interested in learning more about the troubling increase in the hateful and sometimes violent incidents that are traumatizing the AAPI community amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we would encourage you to examine testimony provided to Congress this week by the Asian American Psychological Association. The testimony details the rise in hate incidents and its links to the rhetoric of those labeling the COVID-19 virus the “China Flu,” “Kung Flu,” or other stigmatizing language, examines the impact of the fear caused by such hateful rhetoric and actions, and outlines steps needed to address the problems. You can also find detailed information in the Stop AAPI Hate National Report. We would also encourage you to read the statement from the Society for Research In Child Development Asian Caucus condemning Anti-Asian hate crimes.
Beyond the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, the UCLA community is coming together to stand incidents of hate and violence against the AAPI Community. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and VC Anna Spain Bradley of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion have both addressed these events on their social media channels, as has UC President Michael Drake. The Asian American Studies Department, the Asian American Studies Center, and the Center for the Study of Women have also published a joint statement condemning the violence and calling for transformative justice and change.
As additional research and information about Anti- Asian Hate becomes available, we will make those resource available to those at the school of Education and Information Studies and the larger UCLA community.