AFS Condemns Anti-AAPI Violence and Harassment

The American Folklore Society deplores acts of racist violence and harassment directed at Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

We have signed the statement condemning anti-Asian violence issued by the American Council of Learned Societies as well as the statement of the American Historical Association’s that addresses the deep roots of anti-AAPI violence and harassment in our nation’s past and names the intersection of racism and misogyny in the Atlanta shootings.

Furthermore, we endorse the statement of the Association for Asian Studies that condemns the escalating violence and ongoing harassment directed at AAPI communities and individuals and expresses solidarity with community leaders, students, and educators who are actively engaged in anti-racist action and serving the needs of the most vulnerable members of the AAPI community.

We are ashamed that violence is again the occasion for this outcry, but we are resolved, again and again, to unequivocally condemn racism in our communities and institutions. We reconfirm our call for deep listening and action against all race-based injustice. 

We are working with leaders of our own Transnational Asia/Pacific Section and Women’s Section to develop a wider response to these incidents.