ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) Two weeks after the attack in Atlanta, where 8 people lost their lives, many Asian communities are coming together to learn how to support each other.
Here at home Winthrop University’s Council of Student Leaders releasing a resolution, committing to stand with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.
Winthrop’s community extending condolences to the families and friends of the 8 victims of the Atlanta attacks.
Corde Weeks on the Council of Student Leaders and NAACP at Winthrop University, says, “As a member of the NAACP, my goal is to fight for diversity and inclusion, and what happened in Atlanta was a tragic event that should have never happened.”
In an open letter to the campus community, student leaders saying they, “…stands in solidarity with the fight against systemic racism…” In that letter they also note that 68% of hate crimes against Asian-Americans were reported by women and 30% of those crimes were reported as taking place in a public space.
Dr. Hye-Sung Kim, Assistant Professor Political Science, at Winthrop University says, “In terms of the number of attacks against Asians and Asian-Americans it’s, skyrocketed over the past year. Nearly 3,800 incidence of attacks against Asians and Asian-Americans were reported.”
Using history, political studies, and personal experiences as a reference, these Winthrop professors share their reflections on attacks over the past year and the tragedy in Atlanta.
Dr. Chia-Ian Chang, Assistant Professor of History, at Winthrop University, says, “So, all the time from one 2020 end all the time to last week, the feelings are really complicated. Fear, anger, vulnerability and until last week I think it should be a wake up call.”
In reflecting on the attacks a theme emerged, ‘this is not new’. Both say showing support and sharing experiences of those in the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, can close the gap between cultural and language barriers. They believe these are the keys to change.
“This happens to many many people, so, in that case this is the reason why here, perhaps our media could reach out to help different greets to start this kind of networking,” says Dr. Chang.
“While people have very different ideas, including my students. People have a very different idea, a very different political opinions, background, very different family backgrounds. We all can hear from each other and learn from each others experiences,” says Dr. Kim.
In the video above, CN2’s Rachel Richardson is speaking with campus leaders about the recent attacks and the campuses resolution to stop hate again any group of people.
