The Senate Assembly has issued the following statement in regards to the recent escalation in anti-Asian sentiment:
Whereas Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States and have recently been the target of hate-based violence.
Whereas anti-Asian racism in the United States has historically operated such that anger initiated against one Asian group/ethnicity inevitably expands to target all people who are perceived to be of Asian or Pacific Islander descent.
Whereas anti-Chinese sentiment has recently become increasingly apparent in the United States, in part due to the federal government’s China Initiative of 2018, and largely due to stigmatization of the people of Chinese origin as the carriers responsible for the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Whereas anti-Chinese hate in public spaces has endangered the lives of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who have been randomly targeted to become victims of aggression and violence in public spaces.
Whereas leading institutes of higher education in the United States, including the University of Michigan, have recognized the need to proactively acknowledge and address racism in all its forms.
Be it resolved that the University of Michigan join our peer institutions in explicitly acknowledging the escalation in anti-Asian sentiment, reaffirming its own commitment to anti-racism, and developing strategies to address all forms of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status.
Approved by Senate Assembly: 1/23/23