Standing in Solidarity with the AAPI Community

Dear Bentley Community,

The recent murders of eight people in Georgia, including six Asian women, viscerally spotlights the persistent violence directed at Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) across this country. Tragically, these senseless and racially-targeted murders are not isolated incidents, and racism and violence against the Asian community have been startlingly on the rise over the past year.

We write today as one Cabinet to publicly and emphatically denounce these acts of racist and sexist violence and to call on our entire community to stand in solidarity with the AAPI community, both in and outside of Bentley. To achieve a more racially just and equitable society, we must affirm the right of everyone within our community to be free from harassment, discrimination and violence based on race. 

Our Core Values call on us to speak out against these senseless and targeted acts, educate ourselves on the origins of this hate, and support those who are most impacted. On-campus resources to support these efforts can be found at our Counseling Center, Multicultural Center and Center for International Students and Scholars. Faculty and staff are encouraged to access the Employee Assistance Program). Outside of our community, organizations like Stop AAPI Hate and Asian Americans Advancing Justice provide thorough and important resources and ways to get involved.

This Friday, our community will come together in solidarity for a Vigil to #StopAsianHate at 4:00 p.m. sponsored by Student Equity & Inclusion. You can attend that event by following the Zoom link here on Friday afternoon. On Monday, the Global Studies Department and the Bentley Asian Student Association will host a Talk Space on Anti-Asian Violence in America at 3:00 p.m. Register for it here.

At Bentley, we celebrate our differences and embrace the opportunity to learn from others. Senseless acts of violence like this remind us that we must continue to support one another and speak out against intolerance and racism of any kind in our community.

In Mourning and Solidarity,
Paul Condrin and the Cabinet