CUPE 3908 wishes to express our sense of sorrow following the horrific acts of hate-motivated murder perpetrated against 8 people including 6 women of Asian ancestry, by a white man. Our hearts go out to the friends, families, and communities of Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun, and Paul Andre Michels, and to all affected by this act of racist, misogynist violence.
We condemn all acts of racism and gender-based violence and offer our sincere sympathy and solidarity to the Asian community.
Anti-Asian racism has been a prevalent part of Canada beginning in the early 1800s and it continues today. Like the United States, Canada has experienced a massive increase in anti-Asian harassment and violence over the past year. According to the Chinese Canadian National Council – For Social Justice, there have been over 900 acts of racism in North-America since the beginning of the pandemic (https://www.covidracism.ca/map).
As educators and those working in the education sector, we have a responsibility to speak out in cases of injustice and to teach about systemic inequalities and oppression. We also have a responsibility to do the work of social justice. CUPE3908 is committed to challenging injustice within the union itself, the university, and the community.
#StopAsianHate
Resources
- ETFO’s Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators
- Bystander Intervention (https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/)
- Asian Mental Health Collective: (https://www.asianmhc.org/)
- Fight Covid Racism: Resources (https://www.covidracism.ca/resources)
Sincerely and in solidarity,
The CUPE 3908 Executive