AASC Statement on Disturbing Flyer

On Friday, January 31, 2014, the UCLA Asian American Studies Center received a flyer through the mail, which contained racist and sexist statements. The UCLA Police Department has launched an investigation into the matter. While the flyer itself is likely the work of a cowardly individual or a misguided set of individuals, the larger notions of race, gender and sexuality referenced in the flyer speak to their enduring significance as core points of contention in this nation. Racism, sexism, and sexual bias are embedded in our history and continue to plague contemporary society. These issues have surfaced at UCLA and other campuses, through well known mechanisms, including overt acts, implicit bias, and microaggressions. Such acts are meant to destabilize our communities and cause harm to individuals and institutions. In fact, we realize quite the opposite when students, staff, faculty, and our larger communities stand in solidarity to withstand and discourage these abhorrent attacks. As has been the course over the past forty-five years, the Asian American Studies Center and its constituents remain resolute in their commitment to work for an inclusive society rooted in social justice and an enduring peace.