This week, six Asian women were murdered in the Atlanta metropolitan area. While the massacre has not been officially been called a hate crime, the victims were clearly targeted for a specific reason. More importantly, it draws attention to the drastic increase in the violence, hate, and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), specifically since the start of the pandemic.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, which began tracking racially biased incidents on March 19, 2020, nearly 3,300 complaints were filed between March and December 2020—and another 500+ were filed between January 1 and February 28, 2021. As a nation and as an institution, we cannot ignore these statistics or the terrible acts that have been committed. Georgian Court University adamantly denounces any form of racism, xenophobia, or discrimination; we do not tolerate it on our campus. Further, we stand in support with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community—both here and abroad.
Ultimately, these incidents are a reminder that we have a lot of work to do. Georgian Court University will continue to fulfill its role, as an academic institution, to engage its faculty, staff, and students/alumni in meaningful dialogues around issues that affect us. We are at the start of Critical Concerns Week, where we will engage in a weeklong discussion about environmental racism and anti-racism throughout the world. We invite you to join us, March 18-25, as we delve into these meaningful conversations, which are sponsored by our Office of Mission Integration.
We know that this is an extremely sensitive matter. If you need any assistance, support, or guidance, please reach out to the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services; the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; or any other faculty or staff member on campus. We are here for you.
For more information about Stop AAPI Hate, go to http://stopaapihate.org.
In Solidarity,
Dr. Joseph Marbach, President
