Gerald Sastra/The Cougar
As a reaction to the Atlanta shooting that left eight people, including six women of Asian descent, dead, organizations around campus have spoken out against the wave of anti-Asian hate crimes around the country.
The Center for Diversity and Inclusion and Counseling and Psychological Services are among the organizations speaking out after the shootings.
“The killing spree in Atlanta, GA that claimed the lives of eight people is one of the many visible manifestations of hateful words birthing hateful action,” the CDI said on Twitter. “In solidarity with the AAPI community, we stand against these hateful acts as they are the antithesis of the shared values of CDI and the UH community.”
On the same day, CAPS joined in on the advocacy for a community that has seen a rise in hate crimes since the beginning of the pandemic.
“In solidarity with the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, we stand against these acts that damage our society and that are counter the values of CAPS and our UH community,” CAPS said.
Some UH students have been left fearful after the shootings, which has pushed the issue of anti-Asian hate crimes into the national spotlight.
“(I feel) scared and angry. I’m afraid to even go outside because I’m scared something will happen,” said computer information systems junior Brian Tan.
Since March 2020, there have been 3,795 reports of hate incidents against the AAPI community, according to the CDI statement.
“I have (experienced racism) right before the pandemic started, people would cover their noses with their shirts when I walked past,” Tan said. “I think the racism stemmed from COVID-19, like when they found out that the virus originated from China.”
Mike Nguyen, the owner of a ramen shop in San Antonio, was a recent target.
Nguyen’s restaurant was vandalized with racist graffiti followed by his interview with CNN on Gov. Greg Abbot’s lift of mask mandate.
“We’re not going to get past this unless we’re unified,” Nguyen told The Washington Post. “The longer we’re divided, we’re only going to go backwards.”
