Opposing violence against Asians and Asian Americans

Dear Members of the COM Community,

Today, as we continue to struggle through a global pandemic, we also suffer from, and know that we as a nation must cure, a terrible social illness: the abhorrent rising tide of racism and xenophobia against those of Asian descent.

This senseless violence—including this week’s shooting of eight people, six of them Asian American women—must stop. Although details are still emerging, several of the murder victims have been identified: Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng. We join in mourning their loss, as well as the others whose lives have been affected by racism and racial violence.

To truly support change, our words, as always, must be backed up with our actions. COM’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and I have planned a series of initial responses:

• We will work with COM DIRECT and the COM Student Government to plan a conversation with students, to provide support and a safe space to have an open dialogue about these difficult topics, starting with our next “Cheers and a Chat with the Dean,” on Weds., March 31, from 12:30-1:30. Here is the link to sign up: https://lu.ma/cheersandachat-march31
• We are already working on a college-wide curriculum refresh, which will include addressing issues of racism and diverse perspectives.
• We are planning a COMtalks virtual panel discussion around issues for those of Asian descent communication fields, as part of an ongoing series developed by COM’s DEI Committee.
• We are responding on COM’s digital platforms and social media, such as the DEI Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BUCOMDEI
• To help support students, we have circulated to faculty a set of resources from the Asian American Journalists Association and will share other information as well.
• We also have resources about diversity, equity, and inclusion available on COM’s website: https://www.bu.edu/com/for-current-students/the-com-writing-center/resources/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-at-com/
• Additional resources can be found here:
  • MA Asian American Commission: https://www.aacommission.org/resources/anti-asian-hate-resources/
  • Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
  • Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network: https://www.facebook.com/MassAPIsCAN/
  • Chinese Progressive Association: www.cpaboston.org
  • Asian American Resource Workshop: https://www.aarw.org/
  • Vietnamese Initiative for Development Inc: https://www.vietaid.org/

As always, we welcome your feedback and thoughts about additional ways that COM can help combat racism in all of its ugly forms. Please write to comdei@bu.edu or comdean@bu.edu. Only together can we build a better future for everyone.

Take care,

Mariette DiChristina
Dean, College of Communication