Anti-Racist Statement from the Department of History of Art and Architecture (April 2021)

April 5, 2021
test

A letter by David J. Roxburgh, Department Chair:

Dear members of the HAA community,

I am writing today about the rise in anti-Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander violence and hate crimes which reached a new height in the mass shootings in Atlanta and the death of six Asian women. While these senseless and brutal acts, fueled by racist rhetoric, have grown exponentially in the past year they are by no means unprecedented expressions of prejudice and hate against the members of our Asian and AAPI community, which affect our students, faculty, and staff in the department and across the University. Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders have for a long time experienced prejudicial treatment in America.

I want to share my own sense of both horror and sadness at these acts, and state emphatically that the HAA Department stands against anti-Asian and anti-AAPI racism. We will continue to do everything we can to advance the fight against racism, prejudice, and xenophobia. This is a time for us to support each other, to reach out and offer assistance, and to work in solidarity to ensure that our community is one that sustains, nurtures, and expresses the value of every contribution to our shared endeavors in teaching, research, and learning.

Best wishes,

David J. Roxburgh, Department Chair

See also: General News