In solidarity with our Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
Originally posted on the president’s blog on March 17, 2021
Dear students, faculty, staff and team members,
All of us at VCU are outraged by the most recent attacks targeting Asian Americans across our country, the latest in Atlanta, Ga. While investigations into the shootings are still ongoing, we are troubled by the marked increase in vitriol and xenophobia across the country against Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) people. A major concern is increased reports of anti-Asian sentiment across the country, including senseless harassment and horrific violence against Asian people. This must concern all of us.
To be absolutely clear, we stand in solidarity with the AAPI communities. VCU does not condone any acts of harassment or violence of any kind. Furthermore, inflammatory and destructive rhetoric and behavior have no place at VCU and go against our values as faculty, students and staff.
Advancing inclusion, diversity, and equity for ALL people at VCU has and will continue to be our guiding principle and is critical to promoting the safety and well-being of our community and the communities of which we are a part. We will continue to work tirelessly to take a stand against discrimination and prejudice against AAPI people and are confident that you – our faculty, students and staff – repudiate these anti-Asian hate crimes.
Sincerely,
Michael Rao
President, VCU and VCU Health System
We encourage members of the VCU community in need of support to contact University Counseling Services at (804) 828-6200. In addition, the LifeSafe app is available to VCU community members and can be used for safety purposes.
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