March 26, 2021

Addressing Recent and Historical Anti-Asian Discrimination and Violence in the United States

It is with great sorrow that we mark the recent violence in Atlanta, Georgia, in which the lives of eight individuals, six of them women of Asian descent, were brutally taken from them: Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Hyun Jung Grant, Sun Cha Kim, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Xiaojie Tan, and Yong Ae Yue. Our Asian Studies faculty, students, and staff are still reeling from these and other senseless attacks against members of the Asian, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. These have escalated precipitously since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism recording an astonishing 145% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in major U.S. cities between 2019-2020.

We at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, the GW Institute for Korean Studies, the East Asia National Resource Center, and the Asian Studies Program at the Elliott School, stand in solidarity with the Asian, AAPI, and local communities affected by this violence. Our deepest condolences go out to the victims’ families and friends. We condemn all violent, hateful, misogynist, and racist actions and language which perpetuate harmful stereotypes and reinforce discrimination against individuals of Asian descent. Terms such as “yellow peril” or “kung flu” dog whistle to long-standing white nationalist and imperialist narratives, from describing China as the “Sick Man” of Asia to the perception that all East Asian women are subservient and “mysterious.” These ideas have had pernicious policy outcomes for the AAPI community, including the suppression of the Ghadar Movement, Page Act, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and Japanese internment camps during World War II, among others.

As a nexus of research, policy analysis, and education on Asian affairs, we challenge ourselves, the GW community, policymakers, scholars, and future leaders to reflect critically on ways that foreign policy affects racial discourse in the United States. In particular, recent US policy rhetoric towards China has had a clear, negative impact on the lived experiences of Asian and Asian American communities in the US. We also continue to reflect as a community on ways in which we can improve the quality of this discourse in our academic research, pedagogy, and public programs. In-keeping with our previous DEI statement, we do this with the understanding that our current and future global challenges demand a diverse and culturally sensitive set of perspectives, which have been proven to produce critical, creative, and innovative solutions.

If you would like to join us in shaping this discourse, we invite you to attend the following virtual events: 

• A Mindfulness Drop-In hosted by the Colonial Health Center on March 31 at 3pm
• “Asian Americans and Political Invisibility: Addressing Stereotypes, Racism, and Misogyny,” as part of the Elliott School’s Inclusive Excellence Week, on April 7th from 4-5pm
• GWIKS Signature Conference: “Korean Kinship, Adoption, and Diaspora,” on April 21 from 1-4:30pm
• A forthcoming virtual roundtable to coincide with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on the themes of Asian and Asian American representation and discrimination in foreign policy, academia, the media, and local community organizing. Please fill out this form to be added to our mailing list and receive information about the event.

To learn more about historical and contemporary issues regarding Asian and Asian American discrimination in the United States, please consider the following resources

• The Roots of Anti-Asian Racism in the U.S.: The Pandemic and ‘Yellow Peril’ (Alexa Alice Joubin; accessible blog post adapted from her Global Social Security Review article) 
• Foreigners in Their Own Country: Asian Americans at State Department Confront Discrimination (Ryan Heath, Politico)
• Asian Americans Then and Now: Linking Past to Present (Asia Society)

Participate in a free bystander training session hosted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice:

• Sessions available from April 1-29

Finally, to learn more about GW community resources and programs available to students, faculty, and staff, please review the information below:

• Statement issued by President Thomas J. LeBlanc on Condemning Hate and Violence Against the Asian Community
• Elliott School Council on Diversity and Inclusion
• Statement on Diversity and Inclusion in Asian Studies (issued September 29, 2020)