Dear Members of the Lafayette Community,
Over the last several months, we have witnessed with great sadness and horror acts of harassment and violence against members of the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities around our nation. These acts have increased in frequency since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and have taken a variety of forms including the use of racial slurs, discriminatory behaviors, and physical attacks. Lafayette College denounces all such racially motivated and xenophobic acts of harassment and violence and urges members of our community to stand in solidarity with students, faculty, staff, and broader community members who may encounter or be impacted by such acts of hate.
There are many ways in which we can make our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander students, faculty, and staff feel safe, supported, and valued at Lafayette. We call on you to do so actively. Reach out to students, faculty, and staff to ask about their well-being and offer assistance, interrupt any hateful speech or behavior, and report an incident of bias if you hear of or witness one. We include a few resources below that can be valuable in your efforts.
If you are a member of the Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander communities and have experienced any acts of harassment or bias, we encourage you to do any of the following: Reach out to a trusted member of the Lafayette community to seek support, contact our Counseling Center for assistance, or report an incident of bias against you using the OnePard reporting form.
We thank you for your commitment to making Lafayette a secure and inclusive community. Prejudice, discrimination, and violence against any one of us is prejudice, discrimination, and violence against all of us.
Alison Byerly, President
Annette Diorio, Vice President for Campus Life
Jamila Bookwala, Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council
Resources
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-department-justice-s-efforts-combat-hate-crimes-against-asian-american-and-pacific
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/asian-american-racism-violence-1127876/
https://medium.com/awaken-blog/on-anti-asian-hate-crimes-who-is-our-real-enemy-207ee7354926
https://news.lafayette.edu/2018/02/07/deconstructing-the-model-minority-myth/