UNC Hussman Statement on Anti-Asian Violence and Harassment

In consultation with the school’s diversity and inclusion committee, faculty and staff, UNC Hussman Dean Susan King issued the following statement on behalf of the UNC Hussman community:

We at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media are deeply saddened by the senseless and tragic murders of Hyun Jung Grant, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park and Yong Ae at three Asian American-owned businesses in Fulton County and Cherokee County, Georgia, on Tuesday, March 16.

We stand in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) colleagues, students, alumni, families, fellow journalists and strategic communicators, and all who mourn their loss and the rise of violence against their communities.

These shootings, and ongoing violence and harassment against immigrants and people of color, cannot go unaddressed by those in our media fields. This week’s events reveal a national crisis born of a history of racism and white supremacy. Our faculty researchers and scholars point to overlapping stigmas on race, gender and sex in this country that are only too clear in the Atlanta shootings. 

Too often journalism, entertainment media and other forms of communication perpetuate these stigmas.  We prepare a new generation of  professional communicators, and it is our job as a school to make students aware of discrimination in all forms and to emphasize our value of eradicating it through our teaching, research, creative work and service.

If you, or someone you know, feels threatened or in immediate danger, call the police:

• Emergencies 911
• Chapel Hill Police (919) 968-2760
• UNC Police (919) 962-8100
   

The UNC Asian American Center has identified resources on this webpage that can provide mental health support, as well as guidance in reporting to authorities hate crimes and acts of discrimination and harassment. The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) has provided guidance for news reporting and strategic communication on this issue at this page.