Dear UC Santa Cruz Community:

On behalf of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center, I sincerely hope this message finds you, and your loved ones in good health and in good spirits.

The sudden global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered our campus, along with therest of the world, into uncharted territory requiring drastic measures, and everyone should takeon the responsibility to address this common adversary. I would like to take this opportunity toremind the UCSC community that the adversary is a virus, and not a community of people.

A constant flow of new updates provides us with evidence that demonstrates how the pandemicis disproportionately impacting already marginalized communities. The ​percentage of related deaths of the black residents of Chicago​, the ​impact on the undocumented community​, ​tribal communities​ and on the ​LGBTQ community​, are a few examples. It has been abundantly clearthough, that this pandemic has brought to the surface, blatant xenophobia and racism targeting Asian communities across the globe. There has been a drastic rise of reports of ​racist attacks targeting Asian Americans​ nationwide.

Anti-Asian racism and xenophobia are not new to the Asian American experience; the history of Yellow Peril​, to the ​Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882​, ​Japanese American Internment ​and thestory of ​Vincent Chin​, are just a few historic examples of Asian and Asian Americans beingtargeted as something to fear and blame. Current reports have ranged from online harassment to fatally violent incidents. NONE of it is acceptable.

To our AA/PI Banana Slugs who are directly impacted by these incidents:​ I write to remind you all that you did not cause this pandemic, and you are not to blame. Your sadness, hurt, frustration, and fear of being targeted are valid responses. Whether that leads you to speak out against oppression in all forms, to do what you can to ​take care of yourself​, or to change how you present yourself to others are all very understable reactions. I also want to emphasize that YOU ARE NOT the problem, and it is not your responsibility to change how others perceive you. If you have been the target of harassment or violence, if you are fearful of being targeted, or simply want to connect and be in community, ​AA/PIRC​ and the other campus ​Resource Centers are working diligently to provide opportunities to connect with virtual programs to support andencourage you during these times.

Another form of support comes from one of our campus partners from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Dr. Audry Kim, has extended an invitation for students to engage with her during her ​Let’s Talk, drop-in sessions on Tuesdays 1-3pm via ​Zoom (Meeting ID: 831 459 1373; Password: 561863)​. 

To our Banana Slugs who want to support those directly impacted by these incidents:

I appreciate your compassion and care for your UCSC community. Please continue to reachout and support your fellow Banana Slugs. You can be most helpful by understanding your own biases and doing the work to unlearn them. Resist the urge to be silent or complicit in the Anti-Asian sentiments and violence that are on the rise. Please continue to educate yourselves on Asian American experiences, and have the difficult conversations with people you are close to and challenge assumptions and biases.

Additionally, if you have been targeted by harassment or violence, or have witnessed anincident involving a UCSC community member, even while attending UCSC remotely, I also encourage you:

- to report the incident at ​https://reporthate.ucsc.edu/

AND/OR

- at the ​STOP AAPI HATE reporting page​ [This reporting center is not affiliated withUCSC, but was founded by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON),Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department].

It is my hope that this message will serve as a continuation of dialogue, and community buildingto support the AA/PI community of UCSC, and further the goal of supporting all marginalized communities of UCSC.

You can stay connected to AA/PIRC by adding to our ​e-newsletter mailing list​, and following our Facebook​ and ​Instagram​ accounts. AA/PIRC Staff also hosting virtual office hours via Zoom:

Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have questions, to let us know how you are being impacted by COVID-19, or if you would like to discuss anything in this message in more depth.

Wishing you good health and safety for you and your loved ones.