Panel 1 Description:
Since the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19, thousands of acts of anti-Asian hate incidents have been reported throughout the United States alone. Acts of physical violence and racism on Asians and people of Asian descent have spread globally as the virus itself spreads. These incidents connect to a long history of anti-Asian racism that has been supported by laws, institutions and representations, along with a long history of resistance by Asian Americans in solidarity with other communities of color.
The September 23rd panel at the University of Massachusetts Amherst presented various perspectives from diverse groups of UMass Amherst faculty, professional staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and community members. It was organized by the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and co-sponsored by the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program, the Department of History, the Labor Center, the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, and the Asian & Asian American Arts and Culture Program, Fine Arts Center, the College of Education, the Massachusetts Society of Professors, the UMass Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success, the Department of Sociology and the Public Engagement Project.