Condemnation of Anti-Asian Violence

Oberlin’s Comparative American Studies Department, East Asian Studies Department, International Student Resource Center, and Multicultural Resource Center write in solidarity to denounce the recent violence directed at members of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. 

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating, taking a disproportionate toll on communities of color. We have also witnessed with pain and concern the violence and racial inequities that continue to plague our society. Experts from the United Nations expressed serious concern about the heightened racist and xenophobic attacks against Asians and Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. In the United States, such attacks have no doubt been stoked since the onset of COVID-19 through inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric against Asians and Asian Americans.

In Northeast Ohio, Cleveland's City Council passed a resolution on March 1 to condemn racism against Asians and Asian Americans due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the resolution, and as reported by ABC News 5 in Cleveland, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Asians and Asian Americans have been subjected to racist attacks that put their families, communities, and businesses at risk.

We must not stay silent as this alarming trend of racist and xenophobic attacks become  more and more prevalent on our streets and in our neighborhoods. We deplore and condemn racism and bigotry in whatever form, directed at any group. An attack on anyone in our diverse community is an attack on all of us. 

Together we will continue building equitable pathways to opportunity, and nurturing supportive and empowering spaces for students and families. Below are some ways you can act in support of Oberlin College’s Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

RESOURCES AND TAKING ACTION

We have collected a number of resources from alumni, colleagues, community organizations, and other institutions for your reference.

EDUCATION AND PREVENTION

• Tips from Stop AAPI Hate on what to do if you experience hate and how to safely intervene when you see harassment or a hate crime taking place. (SMART Program, San Francisco, CA)
• Combating AAPI Racism in Age of COVID-19 (Video by Stop AAPI Hate)
• America’s Long History of Scapegoating Its Asian Citizens (National Geographic)
• Download the Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
• #SundaysWithVerna: Anti-Asian Racism in the COVID Era (video)

NEWS/DATA

• The United States Department of Justice State of Ohio Hate Crime Statistics
•  “Pandemic-Fueled Anti-Asian Violence Hasn’t Ended” (Slate.com, Feb. 17, 2021)
• “The U.S. Is Seeing a Massive Spike in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes” (The Cut, Feb. 10, 2021)
• “Anti-Asian hate crime jumps 1,900 percent” (Queens Chronicle, Sept. 24, 2020)

REPORTING A HATE CRIME

• Oberlin College Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion “How To File A Report” related to violations of the Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy

Additional suggestions

• As we usher in the Lunar New Year, support Asian-owned businesses and restaurants.
• Support organizations such as Chinese for Affirmative Action, New Breath Foundation, and others who are responding to violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their assistance and support with these resources:

• Narges Kakalia (OC ‘96), Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (former MRC Community Coordinator)
• SMART. A non-profit organization that envisions and works toward a community with equitable pathways to college graduation for every student in San Francisco.