Statements & Resolutions

In Response to the Lunar New Year Shootings in California - Jan 23, 2023

Asian American communities in California and beyond have been heartbroken at the news of two
mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay that took the lives of 18 people and injured
another 10. Both incidents were instances of Asian on Asian violence, and while we could focus
on the perpetrators, we want to focus on and uplift the heroic actions of Brandon Tsay, who
disarmed the Monterey Park shooter with his bare hands thereby preventing further loss of life.
We stand in solidarity with Asian American communities across the state. We, as with many of
you, are angry, confused, saddened, and devastated at this news that comes at a time of the year
that is about gathering with loved ones and celebrating in community. We know that there has
already been much ongoing harm perpetrated against Asian Americans due to anti-Asian racism,
and now these two incidents come from within the community. We as a community have so
much deep work to do to make our communities safer and to heal both individually and
collectively from this trauma.

Although you may feel helpless and want to shut down, it is important to rely on each other as a
community at this time. We have provided a list of resources on and off campus for students to
access during this time. For our students who are located in the Los Angeles area, we have also
consolidated local resources for you to use.

Our office will be providing in person community circles in Village C, Room 141 on Tuesday
January 31, 2023 from 12:30-2PM. We will keep you updated as we learn more information.
Please visit our website aapi.sfsu.edu for more information including links to any GoFundMe
accounts and other community events to support the victims and their families.
Lastly, we send our deepest condolences to the families that have been impacted in this horrific
event. We hope they rest in peace and may we remember their names.
In Love & Community,

Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Services
Division of Equity & Community Inclusion
San Francisco State University

 

Academic Senate Resolutions

  • Academic Senate Resolution on Priotizing the Recruitment, Hiring, Retention and Promotion of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Staff, Faculty and Administrators (March 2021)
  • Academic Senate Resolution to Condemn Anti-Asian Racism and Violence(April 2021)

View these reports on the Academic Senate website.

 

Statement on Anti-Asian Violence 3/26/2021

 

We, at the Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Services denounce all violence targeting Asian Americans, including the recent murders of Asian American women in Georgia on March 16th. We continue to think of their families, our students, staff, and faculty in our collective grief and outrage. 

This violence is connected to systemic racism, white supremacy, misogyny, xenophobia, and all other forms of oppression, which are enacted as dangerous and divisive tools that impact our communities. We stand together against all forms of hate.

In our mission to serve Asian American & Pacific Islanders, access and visibility is a priority for our students at SFSU. This past year we have held multiple spaces to discuss the increased wave of racism and violence against Asian American communities due to COVID-19, including two recent student forums that encouraged us to reflect and process together. 

As we continue to provide spaces for our students, staff, faculty, and community members, please visit the following links to: 

 

Anti-Terror Law Statement 7/24/2020

 

Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Services-ASPIRE condemns the passing of the Anti-Terror Law by the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Anti-Terror Law (ATL) gives a vague definition on the term “terrorism” and what that could look like according to the Duterte administration. The ATL labels any individual as a “terrorist” if seen participating in actions such as going to a protest, speaking up against the current administration on social media, or even posting memes about the administration. Any form of activism and resistance shown by people in the Philippines and those in the diaspora, regardless of citizenship and residency, would be deemed a terrorist act. People in suspicion could face dire consequences such as legal arrest or detainment without a warrant while the assigned council, military, or police will have the ability to conduct surveillance, access databases, and freeze assets.

At the core of Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Services- ASPIRE’s mission is to serve Asian American & Pacific Islanders (AA&PI) students, improve the learning environment, and strengthen academic outcomes. This mission is informed by the legacy of the Black Student Union-Third World Liberation Front which was led by students in the 1968 to provide Ethnic Studies as a way to combat academic and systemic racism, imperialism, colonialism, and militarism. Our work in increasing access and success of AA&PI students in higher education by assisting them in connecting their histories with contemporary political conditions would be considered a terrorist act. AA&PI Student Sevices-ASPIRE’s fundamental goal to increase AA&PI students power to access and use their civil liberties would be considered a terrorist act. As a resource known to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community at San Francisco State University, it is our duty to inform and educate our communities about what is happening globally and how it can affect us locally.

With this law in effect, Filipina/x/o immigrants and Filipina/x/o American students and faculty in our community who plan to travel to the Philippines can be held with suspicion of terrorism simply because they have spoken up about state violence and terror in their classrooms. In August 2019, the Philippine military attempted to murder Bradon Lee, an SFSU Asian American Studies alumni and human rights advocate, who was vocal about being red-tagged due to his journalism highlighting the political repression of indigenous communities under the Duterte Administration.

We join our community to demand the repeal of the Anti-Terror Law!
Ethnic Studies is not terrorism!
Teaching and learning is not terrorism!
Activism is not terrorism!
#JunkTerrorLawNOW!

Want to learn more and join the movement?
Check out the resources below:
Petitions/information/donations:
Junk Terror Law
Para Sa Pinas
Support SFSU Alumn Brandon Lee

Join the Junk Terror Law email protest. 

Grassroots organizations: Malaya Movement, BAYAN USA, International Coalition for Human Rights in The Philippines, Anakbayan USA, League of Filipino Students at SF State

 

Black Lives Matter Solidarity Statement 6/9/2020

 

We at Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Services - ASPIRE denounce the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and state sanctioned violence that targets Black communities. We stand in solidarity with our Black students, faculty, and staff at San Francisco State University and throughout the nation. We understand the root causes to systemic racism, white supremacy, and all other forms of oppression, which are enacted as dangerous and divisive tools that impact our communities. Our freedom and liberation are tied to one another and we commit to learning, reflecting and working on our internalized oppression, how it shows up in our communities and continue to take action to dismantle ideological and institutional oppression.