Dear Howard University Community,

In the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Atlanta this week, it is vital that we show solidarity through word and through deed for the victims of this violence and to those in the Asian-American community whose fear has been heightened by this latest demonstration of hate. To honor those who were killed, the flags on Howard University’s campus will be lowered to half-staff.

The shootings, which took place at multiple spas in the Atlanta area, have left eight people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent. The violence appears likely to have been racially motivated, the latest and most lethal in a surge of attacks against Asian-Americans since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is Howard’s most sacred duty to stand up to hate – in all forms, against all people. It is not enough to repudiate the shootings; we must also condemn the physical attacks, the verbal assaults, the combative rhetoric, the demonizing behavior and the othering of the Asian-American community. Blood is shed when hate is given sanctuary and intolerance is allowed to persist. 

Of course, as a historically Black college and university, this sort of tragedy resonates strongly across our campus. A majority of our students, alumni, faculty and staff are African-American, people for whom pain from and fear of racial violence has been embedded into their DNA. 

But this week’s shootings evoke more than feelings of empathy at Howard – we are feeling the tragedy ourselves. The African-American community and the Asian-American community are all part of the Howard University family. Individuals of Asian descent have helped make Howard the institution it has become. Our ability to educate students, advocate for justice and equality and serve our community has been substantially strengthened by generations of Asian students, alumni, faculty and staff.  

Howard has always been a mecca to those who faced discrimination and hate. The strength of our University rests on a foundation of openness and acceptance, tolerance and love. It is this quality that makes Howard distinct as an institution and uniquely positioned to condemn hate and violence. At Howard, as in America, diversity is the well from which we generate our power.

To all those of Asian descent, in the Howard family and beyond, know that you have our everlasting support, now during these troubled times and always into the future. By resolving to respond to this tragedy together, we can show resilience. We can overcome violence by demonstrating peace. We can counter hate by showing love. 

A better world is within our grasp if we, united, can eradicate that which divides us and weave more tightly the fabrics that bind us.

Excellence in Truth and Service,

 

Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA

Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery

President