Statement on Anti-APIDA Violence
March 19, 2021
On behalf of Virginia Tech faculty, the Virginia Tech Faculty Senate condemns the recent and ongoing acts of violence committed against members of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community, which include the fatal assault on 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, the assault on Air Force veteran Denny Kim, the vandalization of the Chan family’s restaurant, the beating of a 16-year-old high school student, a surge of attacks against the elderly in the Bay Area, and countless others, including Atlanta-area shootings earlier this week. Anti-Asian hate crimes are a result of anti-Asian rhetoric, scapegoating, stereotyping, and racial profiling subsequent to the coronavirus pandemic; it also proceeds from the history and legacy of anti-Asian racism in the U.S. and around the globe.
The Faculty Senate stands in solidarity with Virginia Tech’s Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community, with Virginia Tech’s Asian American Student Union and its 15 constituent organizations, and with others who have been harmed by verbal and physical anti-APIDA violence. In keeping with our commitment to InclusiveVT, the Virginia Tech Principles of Community, and Virginia Tech’s Mission Statement, we urge the Virginia Tech community to acknowledge the reality and prevalence of anti-APIDA violence and to decry anti-APIDA violence whenever and wherever it occurs.
The Faculty Senate reaffirms its support for all members of our community, many of whom feel profoundly shaken by recent events. We renew our pledge to unite with Virginia Tech organizations dedicated to challenging the status quo and ending complacency in the face of injustice. We acknowledge that Virginia Tech is not nearly as diverse as it should be; in order to provide a safe and rewarding learning environment for all, we will need any more faculty and students of color among us. As we work toward our collective vision of a more diverse and inclusive campus, each and every one of us must commit to the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) and educate ourselves with the aim of exposing and dismantling beliefs and practices that give rise to any and all forms of racism, discrimination, hate, bigotry, and injustice.
RESOURCES
APIDA community and support at Virginia Tech
Asian Cultural Engagement Center
Asian American Student Union
APIDA Caucus: join the listserv: apidacaucus-g@vt.edu or follow on Twitter @VTAPIDACaucus
Reporting bias and hate crimes
Dean of Students, Virginia Tech
Attorney General, Commonwealth of Virginia
Stop AAPI Hate
Related VT statements
3-21-21 APIDA Caucus Op-Ed in Roanoke Times
3-18-21 Message from VT President Sands and Vice President Pratt-Clarke
2-28-21 VT AASU A Statement on the Continued Violence Against the APIDA Community
6-4-20 Faculty Senate Statement on Racial Healing
3-8-20 Official VT AASU Statement