Communications
Puerto Rican Studies Association Statement of Solidarity Against Anti-Asian Violence
March 26, 2021: The Executive Council of the Puerto Rican Studies Association stands in solidarity and in mourning with the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities affected by the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
The murders of Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Yaun Gonzalez, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Yong Ae Yue, Suncha Kim, and Paul Andre Michels were a deliberate manifestation of a white supremacist heteropatriarchal ideology that draws on a long history of Anti-Asian violence rooted in U.S. military imperialism in Asia and the Pacific. While not new, violence against Asian and Asian Americans has increased due to the racism and xenophobia that has marked discussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is itself rooted in a long history of viewing Asia and Asians as vectors for disease.
We recognize the heavy toll that grief places on those whose collective mourning is interrupted by rage. When state actors issue excuses for white supremacist attacks, it is inevitable to respond with outrage. The toxic foundations of a nation state built on genocide, enslavement, and coerced labor have deadly ramifications for marginalized communities, and Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities continue to be affected by this history of racist and settler violence.
The fact that the attack was carried out at massage parlors has resulted in assumptions about the work of the majority woman victims, which demonstrates the exoticization of Asian women, and the precarious conditions of sex work. The victim blaming that has occurred in the media following the Atlanta shooting is reminiscent of other attempts to pathologize and criminalize victims of violence, such as the targeting of Latinx LGBTQ+ communities during the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting.
As an academic organization, we are committed to the learning and unlearning that is necessary for us all to live in an equitable and just society. We encourage you to consider the following resources to #StopAsianHate:
Society and Space Forum on Anti-Asian Violence
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta
Stop AAPI Hate National Report
Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network
Connie Wun, “Ignoring the History of Anti-Asian Racism Is Another Form of Violence”