Statement on Anti-Asian Violence and Racism
March 17, 2021
To the Stony Brook University Community,
This morning, we woke up to terrible news of a series of murders of Asian women in the Atlanta area. In recent weeks, we’ve seen acts of racism and violence targeting Asian-Americans across the nation. The frequency of attacks has surged in our state and elsewhere in 2020 and 2021, fueled by xenophobia and bias during the pandemic. Racism and prejudice aimed at Asian-Americans are not new — it’s an ugly part of our nation’s history that we must reckon with and end. These acts of hate are creating fear, anger and anxiety among many in our community.
I’m writing now to embrace our Asian and Asian-American students, faculty and staff, and all who have been impacted by these incidents, to offer the strength and solidarity of the entire Stony Brook community. Our mission explicitly calls on us to celebrate diversity, and to do so, we must recognize that racism and other forms of prejudice are irreconcilable with inclusive learning and work environments. In order for all members of the Stony Brook community to thrive, we must be willing to examine, recognize, and replace systems that perpetuate hate and inequity, and to affirm our support when others most need it.
If you need assistance, I offer the following resources below. Rick Gatteau, Vice President for Student Affairs, will share more options for community support later today.
On Campus:
Office of Equity and Access - https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/oea/
Counseling and Psychological Services - https://www.stonybrook.edu/caps/
Other Resources
For more on the University’s position on discrimination, please review my statement. If you have experienced discrimination and wish to file a complaint, please visit our ReportIt website.
Now is the time to consider what each of us can do to live up to our values, and to provide members of the community with the support they need. I hope you will join me in listening to those suffering in our community and in making clear, through your words and actions, that racism in all its forms has no place at Stony Brook University.
Maurie McInnis
President