ACRL stands in solidarity with the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and amplifies ALA’s Executive Board in recognizing and condemning anti-Asian hate crimes. ACRL affirms APALA’s March 3, 2021, statement which noted that the association “recognizes and strongly condemns the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that have permeated our country over the past year. Our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities have been deeply impacted by attacks that have caused physical and psychological harm.”
As a member of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), ACRL additionally signed on to an ACLS Statement Condemning Anti-Asian Violence that, in part, encourages “educators, lawmakers, and community leaders to take this moment to listen closely to Asian and Asian-American voices and work with them in stemming this latest scourge of prejudice and violence.”
We join our fellow associations in condemning the horrific mass shooting targeting women of Asian descent in Atlanta on March 16, 2021, that took eight lives. We lament for the eight people murdered and their families, along with all those of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who have suffered the effects of the recent increase in hate crimes that often go un- or underreported. These communities, targets of ignorance and xenophobia, continue to endure increased cases of violent attacks and harassment.
We encourage the academic and research library community to provide support to members of the Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities, especially our colleagues who work alongside us on our campuses and in our libraries, along with those who we serve on our campuses. We call on ACRL members to reflect and take concrete action against systemic injustices such as:
- Offering programming in your libraries to inform your communities about systemic racism and colonialism.
- Being an engaged citizen. Take an active part in local politics to support equitable and anti-racist laws and policies.
- Holding political and professional leaders, including those within ACRL, to a high standard of anti-racist practice.
Learn more and support anti-violence and anti-hate efforts against Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities by:
- Visiting Stop AAPI Hate, to learn, act, or report a hate incident
- Joining Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Atlanta in supporting the victims of the March 16, 2021 attacks.
- Learning from National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)’s hate crime resources for the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities and COVID-19 Anti-Asian Violence trainings like Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) and Hollaback!’s Bystander Intervention Training and IMPACT Bay Area Online Classes.