UTRGV student leaders, such as Filipino Student Association President Alfred Montejo, are encouraging members of UTRGV campus community to speak out against discrimination.
“Silence can speak many words… just speak up when you’re comfortable… and ready to help others,” Montejo said.
This comes after the recent shootings at Atlanta-area spas that left 8 people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent.
The deaths have led to the rise of the Stop Asian Hate movement across the U.S. to end discrimination against AAPI, or the Asian American and Pacific Islanders community.
According to the Stop AAPI Hate website, this movement is intended to “respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.”
UTRGV Political Science Associate Professor Natasha Altema-McNeely explains where the discrimination that instigated these incidents is believed to have started.
“It correlates to a lot of the rhetoric that our former [U.S.] President Trump used in his discussions of the pandemic,” McNeely said. “This rhetoric of blaming Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for the pandemic… associating COVID-19 with China or with stereotypical elements that are associated with the Asian community.”
McNeely said to end discrimination and violence, communities must work together to bring awareness.
“People should speak up because when someone is actively harassing someone or … engaging in acts of violence against someone based on their race, or even based on their sexuality or gender … it really requires the community around that incident to intervene.”
Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Rebecca Gadson refers to this movement as the beginning of a universal change.
“This movement is a call to action, just to talk about, to find one’s voice, to not be silent and provide an opportunity to engage this discourse with the greater community,” Gadson said.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey said in a statement the university stands against racism and reminds students of resources available to them to report discrimination.
Students who are experiencing discrimination or feel in danger can report the incident to the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity or University Police. Faculty and staff can also contact Human Resources or the Office of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention.
