Visual Arts Statement on Violence and Discrimination Targeting Asian-Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders

The visual arts community at Oberlin College (Art History, Studio Art, the Allen Memorial Art Museum and the Clarence Ward Art Library) recognizes and condemns the racial violence in Atlanta, which is a culmination of ongoing harassment and discrimination targeting the Asian-American, Asian and Pacific Islander communities. A persistent blight on American history, this discrimination has intensified in the last year, amplified by politically-motivated racist and xenophobic associations between these communities and COVID-19.

These hateful actions and words, and the underlying racial stereotypes that support them, hurt the Oberlin College community, including our students and colleagues; they are antithetical to what we stand for professionally and personally. We commit ourselves to the action of building an Oberlin community that is free of discrimination and harassment, and equitably supportive of all its members. This work builds on the necessary anti-racist work we have begun in the Oberlin visual arts community and are committed to continuing.

With this statement, we echo and affirm the earlier statement by the Presidential Initiative on Racial Equity and Diversity Commission and joint statement from the Comparative American Studies Department, East Asian Studies Department, International Student Resource Center, and Multi-Cultural Resource Center. 

We encourage Oberlin students and others to use the resources available in these earlier statements for both education and action, and to reach out to us for support.