Anti-Asian violence has a long history in the U.S., yet is often obscured by ideas like the model minority myth. And while the growing movement to #StopAAPIHate is an easy-to-digest sentiment, scholars who study racism often emphasize that the most pressing issue is not individual hate or bias, but structural forces.
Drawing on both a rich community of scholars here at Indiana University and beyond, CRRES has curated and will continue to maintain this resource page addressing anti-Asian racism. Below you'll find immediate ways to take action, from reporting bias incidents to on-going petitions; links to IU units that serve Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students; and selected readings to help make sense of the recent violence against Asians and Asian Americans.
Statement on Bloomington Bus Stabbing of Asian Student
January 17, 2023
Last week, we were once again reminded that minoritized communities in the United States cannot live in peace and without threat of racist violence. We are angered and saddened to hear about an 18-year-old Asian student stabbed as she was exiting a public bus. News reports clearly characterized this as a targeted anti-Asian hate crime.
We wish the victim a speedy recovery from her physical wounds and extend our support as she manages any psychological trauma from this incident. We also extend our support to faculty, staff, students, and community members who are triggered by this act of hate. We encourage you to seek out sources on the IU campus and Bloomington community if needed. And please do let us know if there are ways in which the Center can help with the healing process.
Unfortunately, this type of racial violence is all too common as of late. Hate crimes targeting the Asian American community have reached unprecedented levels. In 2021 alone, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339 percent across the United States in comparison to the previous year.
CRRES joins the many offices who have spoken to condemn this latest, traumatizing act of hate. We must also acknowledge that this anti-Asian violence is part of a larger system of racism that pervades our country. As a research center, we will continue the work of dismantling white supremacy and implore community officials and the University to invest in more programs and initiatives that advance racial equity and social justice.
Previous Statements
March 21, 2021
Last week, a mass shooting took place in Atlanta at three Asian-owned businesses, leaving eight dead. Six were Asian American women. This senseless attack was not an isolated incident, but part of a larger history of anti-Asian sentiment, violence, and more recently, a reminder of the painful ways in which Asian Americans have been scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic...
We stand in solidarity with the Asian American community and mourn the lives lost in Atlanta. Of the six Asian women who were murdered, all were immigrants, mothers, and low-income workers; four were U.S. citizens; two were grandmothers; and one was a single mother.
