Regarding the Atlanta-area shooting

March 17, 2021

Dear members of the Mount Holyoke community, 

The news today of another shooting, with eight people now confirmed dead in Atlanta, is devastating. While there is still much we do not know, we have learned that six of the victims were Asian women. This tragedy for the families and communities of all of the victims, and the targeting of Asian women, has brought to the fore yet further evidence of racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and gender-based violence. 

The murders of these women in Atlanta contributes to the overwhelming and very real fear of many members of the Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native communities who have been particularly targeted since the beginning of the pandemic last March. In fact, @StopAAPIHate has documented nearly 3,800 hate crimes since March of 2020. These violent incidents are rooted in longstanding anti-Asian racism that dates back to the 1800s in the United States, and that has continued, and at the highest levels of power, during this global pandemic. 

Our hearts go out to members of our community who, in this moment,  are fearful and in deep pain. We want each of you to know that, at Mount Holyoke, we are intentionally focused on supporting you and speaking out against anti-Asian hatred. In a recent message to the campus community, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Kijua Sanders-McMurtry wrote about resources and educational opportunities available at the College.  And just over a week ago, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in partnership with the Division of Student Life, hosted “Fighting Anti-Asian Hate: A Dialogue on Coalition Building and Community Care with Amer Ahmed, Lydia X.Z. Brown and Gabe Hall.” A captioned recording of this event will be available to view at this year’s Building On Our Momentum (BOOM!): Community Day on Tuesday, March 23. 

As Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has said, “a crime against any community is a crime against us all.” Standing up to racism, and to all forms of bias and oppression, requires each one of us to deepen our understanding, to openly challenge discrimination in all its forms and to act to make a difference. Mount Holyoke’s anti-racism action plan and events like BOOM! are guideposts for our work — work that is ongoing, expansive and intersectional. No single person, workshop or event will change all hearts and minds, but in our vigilance, in our hope and determination, and in the fullness of our humanity, we can and will shape our campus community and the world we want to see. 

I encourage you to join in this effort by participating fully in BOOM! next week, by continuing to connect with us and with one another, and by extending care, concern and support to all those in our community and beyond affected by this act of violence and its ramifications.

Sincerely,

Sonya