Atlanta Shootings

March 18, 2021

Dear all,

I am writing as I did only a month ago about violence against Asian Americans. As investigators piece together the motivation behind the senseless slaughter of eight people in Atlanta this week, one thing seems clear—the violence is an unfathomable tragedy that strikes the Asian American community even as it is already devastated by dramatic increases in racist attacks across the country. The attack also underscores the grim reality of our society’s continued violence against women.

We cannot ignore that these killings come at a time when there have been nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents targeting Asian Americans nationwide in the last year, according to Stop AAPI Hate. Nor can we ignore that this tragedy uncovers an undercurrent of misogyny unfortunately still so prevalent today. This massacre reveals the symptoms of a much larger national issue that concerns all of us. Injustice. Injury. We are all affected.

As a Vassar community, we stand in solidarity with the Asian American community and women who are survivors of violence, as we aspire to advance a world of greater understanding, compassion, and peace.

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar