Following a series of shootings in Atlanta on March 16 involving the deaths of six Asian Americans and two white individuals, Texas A&M interim President John Junkins shared a message from interim Vice President and associate Provost for Diversity Annie McGowan promoting unity and anti-discrimination among Aggies.
“Incidents of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community have increased at an alarming rate over the past year,” McGowan said in the statement. “It is the shared responsibility of all of us to embrace and support individuals from a wide range of identities, perspectives, viewpoints and experiences with full understanding and sensitivity.”
McGowan said it is up to each individual to report incidents of discrimination or hate while supporting those who are experiencing oppression.
“Spread our Aggie core value of Respect far and wide. Without Respect, fear and ignorance can take hold of our communities. As Aggies, we will not engage in fearmongering,” McGowan said. “As Aggies, we embrace our core value of Leadership by modeling affirming behaviors and rejecting bias and discrimination. As Aggies, we can show others how to support and protect people on our campus and in our communities from social stigma and discrimination.”
For resources on how to spot and stop discriminatory acts, visit the Office for Diversity’s online toolkit. Read Junkins and McGowans complete statement here.