King Hall community responds to anti-Asian violence
Members of the King Hall community have weighed in on the alarming rise in anti-Asian violence in the United States.
On March 19, the Chief Justice of California, Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye ’84, condemned recent acts of violence against Asian Americans, calling the attacks “reprehensible.”
“Because of who I am as an Asian-Filipina, because of my parents, my aunties, friends and connected communities of color, these attacks feel more personal,” Cantil-Sakauye wrote in a statement distributed by the Judicial Council and reported by The Recorder.
Professor Gabriel “Jack” Chin spoke to USA Today for a story about the greater sense of unity that has arisen within the fight against anti-Asian violence after the killings of eight people – six of them women of Asian descent – on March 16 in Atlanta. The events in Atlanta “are likely to be looked back on as a turning point” in the fight against anti-Asian racism, Chin told the newspaper.
Chin also appeared on Pacifica Network’s 2021 Talks podcast to discuss the long history of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia in the United States.
Professor Raquel Aldana spoke to the UC Davis student newspaper The California Aggie for a March 12 article about how students are giving back to the community and raising awareness in the wake of increased anti-Asian violence.
UC Davis School of Law's Asian Pacific American Law Students Association shared a statement last week condemning the killings in Atlanta, and offered this message to students:
"It is difficult to find the words to address the violence our communities have experienced in the past few days. We hope you are finding moments of solitude, rest, and respite as we head into Spring Break."
Law Students Association President Montserrat Garcia Juarez ’21 sent out a message of support and list of resources to King Hall’s AAPI community members. Dean Kevin R. Johnson published the message on his Dean’s Blog. Dean Johnson released a statement earlier in March condemning anti-Asian racism. The message reads, in part:
"UC Davis School of Law supports all members of our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. ... The King Hall community stands against racism of any kind. No one should be subject to hate violence. Please join together as a community to support our Asian and Asian American students, alumni, faculty, and staff and speak up against anti-Asian hate."