Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
On Wednesday, March 17, President Rao emphasized VCU’s commitment to standing in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in this time of heightened racism and violence against Asian people. At VCUarts, we are saddened by these tragic and horrific events and we want to make it clear that we do not condone any acts of violence, harassment, inflammatory rhetoric or behavior.
We want to affirm our unwavering support for our Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander faculty, staff and students. Our strength comes from embracing our diverse community, our individual perspectives and our varied backgrounds. Racism and hatred have no place at VCU and VCUarts. We want to reiterate that as a community of artists, VCUarts supports thoughtful, informed and inclusive action, and we are committed to a learning environment in which individuals of different perspectives, life experiences, cultural backgrounds and social identities feel safe and welcomed.
We are here to support our AAPI communities during this difficult time and will continue to advance diversity, inclusion and equity at VCUarts. Holly Alford, VCUarts Director of Inclusion and Equity, is available to support all faculty, staff and students who want to discuss incidents, situations or concerns, and can provide advice, assistance and recourse. Some additional resources are below.
- Asian American Advocating for Justice Guide to address anti-Asian racism.
- Asians Do Therapy Podcast: Asians and White Supremacy
- Stop AAPIHate: Reporting center that tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
- Center for Asian Pacific American Women
- VCU University Counseling Services: 804.828.6200
We must remain vigilant about the many ways that anti-Asian prejudice and bias affect us. We will continue working together as a school to identify and address this, and all forms of racism and xenophobia.
Best regards,
Carmenita Higginbotham
—
Carmenita Higginbotham, Ph.D.
Dean
Special Assistant to the Provost for VCUarts Qatar
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA 23284
arts.vcu.edu