Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in winter 2020, we have seen an alarming number of incidents of harassment, hate speech, and racist acts directed at Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders across the United States.
Xenophobia and Anti-Asian sentiment were fueled by the Trump administration’s rhetoric about the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu” in reference to COVID19.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/ad-calling-out-trump-anti-asian-rhetoric-will-air-battleground-n1238868
By April 2020, a coalition of AAPI advocacy groups and scholars called STOP AAPI HATE started collecting incidents in an online database, including Asians being called racial slurs, being spat on and physically assaulted, as well as being denied services, experiencing workplace discrimination, and other potential civic rights violations
https://stopaapihate.org
Last month, President Biden signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to improve data collection and reporting of anti-Asian hate incidents; and instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to public health services around cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity. Despite this executive order, AAPI hate crimes and discrimination continue to skyrocket.
San José City College condemns all acts of harassment, hate speech, racism, and violence. SJCC is a proud Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). We recognize value and honor members of the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities integral to our civic and cultural lives in the Bay Area and broader United States.
Please, take the opportunity to read the SJECCD board resolution denouncing xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment.
https://bit.ly/3bdmfNL
if you find you need assistance upon hearing about or experiencing these recent events, please remember that the college offers counseling and support services for students, faculty, and staff. For SJCC Mental Health Services, please contact Elisse Reyna, LCSW, Case Manager at Elisse.Reyna@sjcc.edu. Faculty and staff members can also contact our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for counseling services at 800-999-7222.
In Community Spirit,
Rowena