The Faculty of Color Alliance is saddened and angered by the racist murders that took place last week, and the misinformed press coverage that followed. We stand against this horrific escalation of violence and consequential killing of Asian people in the United States and in steadfast solidarity with all those most at-risk due to the legacies of U.S. Anti-Asian policies – such as but certainly not limited to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Executive Order 9066 of 1942, ongoing misogyny, and economic vulnerability.

The rhetoric of the previous U.S. presidential administration refueled these misguided, latent falsities, now spun and reinvigorated into our current environment of atrocity. The 21 year old shooter in Atlanta did not emerge in isolation but rather as a culmination of this spectrum of Anti-Asian hate. All of us as artists, designers, faculty, students and staff come together in the daylight of this hour to say no to this hatred, and will seek every opportunity to use our talent, skill, and voices to allow our society in this country to finally understand and put a stop to such actions. We mourn and will commemorate with our actions, the memory of those we lost last week: Soon Chung Park, (age 74), Hyun Jung Grant (age 51), Suncha Kim (age 69), Yong Yue (age 63), Delaina Ashley Yaun (age 33), Paul Andre Michels (age 54), Xiaojie Tan (age 49), Daoyou Feng (age 44).

We are grateful to our colleague, Maxwell Leung, for putting together a resource page about anti-Asian racism and violence for educators that will help us further understand the tragedy and the current crisis. This vital information, as well as engaging in difficult conversations, and checking in on our Asian American and Asian neighbors who are currently being targeted, are some small, but powerful starting points in our efforts to confront this current crime against our humanity. 

In solidarity, 
Members of Faculty of Color Alliance | FOCA

Anti-Asian Racism and Violence Resource Page