The UF Department of Physical Therapy condemns the murders of eight individuals in Atlanta on March 16. Although authorities have stated that race was not a factor in these horrific attacks, six of the individuals killed were women of Asian descent and all of the shootings took place at Asian-owned businesses. These killings are especially tragic after over a year of violence, hate, and bullying towards Asians and persons of Asian descent related to COVID-19 and the unjustified blame placed on them for this virus.
We acknowledge the heightened pain, anxiety, and anger our Asian students, colleagues, alumni, and friends are experiencing now and have experienced in the months and year leading up to this attack. This is not the first time in American history that Asians and Asian-Americans have been under attack simply because of their Asian heritage.
Unconscious biases and racism against our Asian colleagues has no place here in the Department of Physical Therapy or the Gator Nation. We recognize that all of us must work together to remove the hate and bigotry that often target people of color, including Asians. We all need to come together to help prevent further violence and #StopAsianHate.
For a list of resources and guides to help fight anti-Asian racism, please see this article.