Dear Wagner College Community,
As our community strongly rejects all forms of racism and discrimination, we abhor and condemn violence against Asians and Asian Americans in our country wherever and whenever it occurs.
On Tuesday, the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center released a national report detailing incidents of discrimination and violence that have occurred just this past year. The report offers an alarming look at the realities the AAPI community continues to face: hatred that long predated the Covid-19 pandemic, but that has been made worse by false and harmful narratives about the virus. A day later, we were horrified by the murder of eight people in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian American. We have witnessed other hateful acts of violence and discrimination here in New York City, including acts that affect the AAPI community on Staten Island.
Standing in solidarity with those who have been hurt by these horrible acts, we support and affirm the inclusive values that define Wagner and our commitment to honoring these values through our actions. As individuals and as an institution, we must grow in our awareness so that we can better embody our values in our actions and serve as allies and advocates.
We invite anyone who has witnessed or experienced any acts of racism or discrimination to alert the Dean of Campus Life Office (deansoffice@wagner.edu) or fill out the Bias Response Form. We must be upstanders and stand by our AAPI community members to create a more just and inclusive campus climate.
Next Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m., Wagner’s Asian Pacific Islander Association will hold a candlelight vigil. More details on this event will be shared via email and social media with the Wagner College community this afternoon.
We know that this is a difficult time and we want to remind you of the some support resources:
- Wagner College's Center for Health and Wellness: 718-390-3158
- Asian Mental Health Collective: asianmhc.org
- SAMHSA National Hotline: 800-662-HELP
- National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance: NQAPIA.org
- Crisis Text Line: Text "home" to 741741
- New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health: AsianMentalHealth.org
Let Wagner be a place that stamps out hatred and embraces the need for compassion across all lines of difference, at every intersection of identity. Please join us in reaffirming this commitment.
Ruta Shah-Gordon, Ph.D.
Vice President, Internationalization, Intercultural Affairs & Campus Life
Jeffrey Kraus, Ph.D.
Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
Joel W. Martin, Ph.D.
President
