Dear EQxD Community,

I wanted to reach out in the painful aftermath of witnessing another week of racist violence. The tragic shootings involving Asian women in Atlanta along with further assault and murders of Asian elders in California cannot be ignored in relationship to the surge of xenophobic, Asian American Pacific Islander harassment and violence coinciding with the COVID19 pandemic.

Unfortunately the recent hateful attacks are part of a long legacy of xenophobic and racist policies and practices in American history against AAPI individuals, racial and ethnic groups - Yellow Peril during the California Gold Rush, Chinese Exclusion Act, 1918 Flu Epidemic, and brutality related to the Japanese Internment Camps - to name a few of countless examples.

Additionally, these issues amplify the greater urgency of our collective work to holistically dismantle systems of oppression, disenfranchisement and harm for Black, Indigenous and Communities of Color. And with our recent exploration during the #EQxD2020 J.E.D.I. Agenda - we can't ignore that intersectional issues of race, gender, age, etc. in the reports of violence and harassment were greater by 2.3% for AAPI women and LGBTQIA identities.

We ask you to stand in solidarity with Asian American Pacific Islander and Asian immigrant communities to condemn the racist violence and hateful rhetoric. It is not only the extreme acts of violence, but also the daily discrimination and "casual racism" of hateful rhetoric that have contributed to long term trauma, anxiety, health and safety of AAPI individuals and communities. We must acknowledge and actively address the recent surge of anti-Asian harassment and violent attacks by standing up and speaking out in our communities.

I have started to compile resources to build a greater understanding of the gravity of these issues in hopes to begin a larger discourse towards action and positive results.

Please share and suggest other recommendations that you may have.

Grateful,

Rosa T. Sheng, FAIA