Standing Together Against Hate
Violence against Asian people has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, there have been 3,795 reported incidents of discrimination, hate and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) from March 19, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021, according to a report from Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition formed to address anti-Asian discrimination amid the pandemic.
That’s a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur, and it represents just the latest chapter in the story of anti-Asian bigotry that spans more than a century in our nation’s history. The March 16, 2021, shootings at three Atlanta spas—where eight people, including six Asian women, were killed—only magnified the grief, fear and anger the AAPI community has been experiencing since last year.
To respond to these violent assaults and show solidarity against racism, the newly formed 鶹ý AAPI Faculty and Staff Alliance hosted a “Stand Together Against Hate” rally at the Kent Campus on April 7. Organizers invited participants to bring a sign of support and required them to wear a mask and maintain safe distances.
The rally began at the field adjacent to the Kent State Center for the Performing Arts, on the corner of Main Street and Horning Road. Founding members of the alliance, Donna Lee, professor and coordinator of the Piano Division at the School of Music, and Yuko Kurahashi, professor of theatre at the School of Theatre and Dance, welcomed the crowd of faculty, staff, students and city of Kent residents and introduced the speakers for the event. Speakers included, among others, Kent State President Todd Diacon, Student Multicultural Center Director Michael Daniels, Kent Councilwoman Heidi Shaffer Bish and Kathleen Clyde, former Portage County commissioner and Ohio House of Representatives member.
International student Yu Li, who came to Kent State from China five years ago and has been studying for a doctoral degree in cultural foundations at the College of Education, Health and Human Services, spoke with her young daughter at her side. She described a recent incident in which her car was the only one spray painted white in the parking lot of her apartment building.
Terrified, she had called her advisor, who immediately told her to report it to the campus and city police. After she did, she also received many messages of support and offers of help from the dean, professors, fellow students, colleagues and her child’s teacher from the Child Development Center at Kent State.
“The love and care I got conquered the fear in my heart and empowered me to step out of my small apartment and then share my story and stand here with everyone,” Li said. “It is the love, it is the care from the Kent State community that reminded me who I am, reminded me of my goal, reminded me of my dream, reminded me why I came to Kent State.”
In his speech, President Diacon said, “When one of us doesn’t feel safe, then our campus isn’t safe,” and he encouraged participants to discuss “concrete efforts to make our community a better community” and attend an anti-racism task force town hall the next day.
After the speeches and musical interludes, an estimated 300 participants held signs and marched to the Rock, where they painted phrases like “United We Stand,” “Stop Asian Hate” and “Hate is a Virus” on the Rock, which has borne witness to many anti-racism protests in recent months.
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