March 2021
The CCCC Executive Committee stands in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander colleagues after the targeted, racist, and misogynist violence in Atlanta on March 16, 2021.
We condemn the historical legacy of anti-Asian racist policy and practice and the more recent invocation of anti-Asian rhetoric by national leaders, which we believe has contributed to a political climate that enables hate crimes such as these attacks.
We reaffirm our organizational commitment to ethical communication; to “supporting the agency, power, and potential of diverse communicators inside and outside of postsecondary classrooms” (CCCC Mission Statement); and to accountability for hate speech that paves the way for additional acts of violence.
We support all CCCC members in using their voices to combat racist violence and using their expertise as educators to create teaching and learning environments that help students negotiate toxic public discourse. Likewise, we support CCCC members in creating professional spaces that allow those who are targeted by such discourse to find empathy and healing. We stand as allies joined in the work of antiracist change-making in educational and other institutions.
We encourage you to visit the Anti-Asian Violence Resource website for strategies and tools for action, as well as the Asian Americans Advancing Justice site for professional learning opportunities.
This position statement may be printed, copied, and disseminated without permission from NCTE.
