AAPI Harassment Discrimination and Hate Crimes

The Psychology Department at Utah State University stands with the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities as they face dramatic and significant escalations of harassment, discrimination, hate crimes, and racially motivated violence. Those experiences have consequences that can be life-threatening and deadly. Sadly, this is not new, and after a concerning escalation following the COVID-19 pandemic, these incidences have increased.

What does "standing with" mean? In some ways, that's up to you.

At a minimum, we must educate ourselves. If I can make one request of everybody today, please read the written testimony from the Asian American Psychological Association for the Congressional Hearing on Discrimination and Violence against Asian Americans and the Stop AAPI Hate National Report, both of which were released this past week.

But we should also consider thoughtful self-study reflection; consider including some diverse voices in your reading list (or your listening list!). And explore other training opportunities. This online training, for instance, is worth everyone's time: "Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment."

Remember that there are campus resources: the USU Inclusion Center, USU Latinx Cultural Center, and the Center for Intersectional Gender Studies & Research provide support, resources, and a warm welcome on our campuses.

There are also formal mechanisms for Reporting Bias, Harassment, and Discrimination at USU. USU is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination, including harassment. If you are experiencing harassing conduct or discrimination, the most important thing you can do is get help; please report your experiences to the Utah State University Office of Equity.

The Department of Psychology holds core values for advancing equity and practicing inclusion. Our community is diverse due to thoughtful and deliberate action: we value the diverse experiences and perspectives that each person brings to our community. Any act that devalues, demeans, or threatens one member of our community's safety and well-being threatens our entire community. National news and a growing body of research show us that when particular ethnic, cultural, and national groups are targeted for violence, we all suffer. We teach, research, and provide services in an academic field that helps advance people's health and well-being--we support flourishing. So, we have a responsibility to understand how targeted violence affects people in our communities and take affirmative steps to stop it.

The Department would like to thank members of the Psychology Department's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Committee for their help with and participation in writing this statement.