Dear colleagues.
Today, Asians living in America face an unprecedented level of racism and violence. I want McArdle, the campus and our community to be a safe haven from this racism. I am saddened that many of our Asian friends and colleagues in McArdle and elsewhere on campus fear for the safety and security of themselves and their family members. The unleashing of the white supremacy movement together with the nearly daily Asian-bashing and Asian-blaming for all the ills of America, along with the drastic changes in immigration policies, some of which have directly impacted our Asian members of McArdle, have had very real negative consequences on our Asian friends and colleagues. They have every right to be concerned for their own safety and security.
To our Asian friends and colleagues: I want to make sure that you, whether you be faculty, scientists, trainees or staff in our labs or in our administration, find a welcoming and embracing community of colleagues who respect, honor and celebrate your extraordinary efforts in McArdle. Your successes are our successes. Your efforts are helping pave our future. We could not do it without you. Our community spirit, which embraces our diversity, is part of what makes McArdle special and elevates our success as a vibrant, creative scientific center here in Madison and nationally. Each of us are contributors to our national success, and we all benefit from support that we give to each other. This is one of those times when we can especially provide support to you, our Asian colleagues.
If any of you wish to share any concerns regarding any negative experiences within McArdle, on campus or in our community, please do reach out to me. As with all forms of racism and implicit bias, first we need to recognize that it exists, define it, identify the root causes, and then make changes to eliminate it. We need to stay together and help each other. I would like this to become a focus of the McArdle diversity and inclusivity working group. Your providing feedback will help in its efforts.
I thank Professors Elaine Alarid and Dan Loeb for their input to this statement
Best wishes,
Paul