A Message from President Kim on the Recent Violence Against Asian American Community

On March 16, eight people were shot and killed in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Six of the victims were Asian women. Four days ago, a 65-year-old Filipino woman was assaulted and beaten in front of an apartment building in Manhattan as building staff watched. Suddenly, and to the apparent surprise of some, the press is full of stories about anti-Asian violence.

The history of racism and hostility directed towards Asians in this country is a long one. This more recent wave of violent attacks on Asians, particularly the elderly, seems to have coincided with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the belief that Asians are “responsible” for it and the suffering that it has caused. But even at a moment of apparent national reckoning with the reality of racism and white supremacy culture in our country, this is a subject which has drawn relatively little attention or interest until very recently. I would guess that most of us who identify as members of the AAPI community know what it is like to feel invisible -- perceived as “white” by members of other communities of color and as an “inscrutable” but ultimately safe “Other” by members of the white population. I have lived in this in-between space my entire life and, like many of my generation, have learned to navigate many obstacles, some obvious, others hidden from sight.

Many of you know that I do not believe it is appropriate for me, in my capacity as president, to express my personal views or feelings about current events that do not touch directly on the life of the college. In this case, however, and in response to those who have been asking me how I am feeling (which I appreciate), I will say that I am feeling rage and outrage in equal measure. I also want to remind all of us that we can never tolerate the targeting of any member of our community. There is no room here for bigotry, homophobia, misogyny, or any form of discrimination aimed at any individual or group of individuals. As I have said for many years at our new student convocation, “Not at Columbia.”

As we continue to confront all forms of racial injustice in our world, our work of becoming a fully anti-racist institution takes on new urgency. The launch of the college-wide Social Justice Initiative and the recent formation of the Anti-racism Transformation Team (ArTT), comprised of faculty, staff and students, represent the next steps forward. At present the members of the ArTT are engaged in an intensive training that will better equip them to identify the artifacts and legacies of racism in our own institution, the first step towards dismantling them. This work is arduous and challenging and it has my full support and commitment, placing it as I do at the very core of the college’s values.

In the face of the hatred and Othering we see in the world around us, I ask that we pull together as a community, looking out for one another and creating an environment in which all can feel safe and supported. Let us stand tall together and model for others what a truly inclusive community can be.

Sincerely,

Kwang-Wu Kim
President and CEO