Welcome!

Announcement: New Director of the Weglyn Endowed Chair for Multicultural Studies

It is with great honor and enthusiasm that I announce my appointment as the new director of the Weglyn Endowed Chair for Multicultural Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. The legacy of Michi and Walter Weglyn is one of profound activism, hope, and commitment to social justice, and I am deeply committed to continuing their mission.

Established through the visionary efforts of President emeritus Bob Suzuki and Mrs. Agnes Suzuki, who were close friends of the Weglyns, this endowment has become a beacon of civic engagement and community service. Under the dedicated leadership of the previous director, Dr. Mary Kunmi Yu Danico, the Endowed Chair has significantly advanced our understanding of race and ethnicity and the practice of social justice.

As we move forward, we remain steadfast in our commitment to addressing the pressing social issues of our time. This academic year, we will continue to honor the memories and lifelong work of Michi and Walter Weglyn by fostering discussions and actions that promote social justice and peace.

I invite you to continue to engage with the Endowed Chair. Visit our website, where you will find a calendar of events for the academic year. Among these, we will highlight significant dates such as Remembrance Day on February 19, where we will reflect on the impact of Michi Weglyn's groundbreaking work, Years of Infamy, and its enduring influence on the redress movement and social justice advocacy.

Your participation and support are crucial to the success of our initiatives. Whether you attend our events, contribute to our new and continuing programs for underserved communities, or engage in dialogue with us, your involvement helps us carry forward the Weglyns' legacy.

I am excited about the year ahead and look forward to meeting and collaborating with you to further our shared goals of social justice and community empowerment. Together, we can continue to build on the remarkable foundation laid by Michi and Walter Weglyn.

Sincerely,

Neil Chaturvedi
Director, Weglyn Endowed Chair for Multicultural Studies
Cal Poly Pomona

Dr. Mary Kunmi Yu Danico, Director
3801 West Temple Blvd.
Pomona, CA 91768
Weglyn@cpp.edu

STATEMENT CONDEMNING ANTI-ASIAN RACISM, VIOLENCE, AND MISOGYNY MARCH, 2021

THE DIRECTOR OF THE WEGLYN ENDOWED CHAIR AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ARE HORRIFIED AND SADDENED BY THE RECENT STRING OF HATE CRIMES COMMITTED. AGAINST ASIAN AMERICAN ELDERS AND BY THE TARGETING OF AN ASIAN WOMAN OWNED BUSINESS THAT ENDED THE LIVES OF 8 PEOPLE. SIX OF WHOM WERE OF ASIAN DESCENT. PLEASE KNOW AND HONOR THEIR NAMES.

WE WANT TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT TO OUR STUDENTS, CAMPUS COMMUNITY, LOCAL AND THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND RECENT HATE CRIMES AND HATE SPEECH. THE LEGACY OF WHITE SUPREMACY IN THE U.S. HAS TERRORIZED AND ATTACKED ASIANS WHO HAVE PUT FOOD ON OUR GROCERY SHELVES, SERVED US MEALS AT RESTAURANTS, CONTRIBUTED TO THE ECONOMY BY BUILDING SMALL BUSINESSES, AND WHO HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO RESPOND TO THE PANDEMIC IN CONVALESCENT HOMES AND HOSPITALS AS CAREGIVERS, NURSES. DOCTORS, AND JANITORIAL STAFF. WE KNOW THAT ANTI-ASIAN RACISM IS INTERWOVEN WITH ANTI-BLACK AND ANTI-BIPOC RACISM THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF THE AMERICAN SOCIAL FABRIC. NOW MORE THAN EVER. WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR BIPOC COMMUNITIES TO CONDEMN THE RISING OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE AND RACISM.

THE ATLANTA SPA MURDERS GLARINGLY BRING TO LIGHT THE MISOGYNY AND RACISMS THAT TARGET WOMEN OF ASIAN DESCENT. AS THE AUNTIE ASIAN SQUAD NOTED IN THEIR STATEMENT,

SINCE THE ENACTMENT OF THE 1875 PAGE ACT THAT CAST ALL CHINESE IMMIGRANT WOMEN AS PROSTITUTES, THERE HAS BEEN A LONG LEGACY OF STEREOTYPING ASIAN/ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN AS ‘SUBSERVIENT AND EXOTICIZED SEXUAL OBJECTS FOR WHITE, MALE CONSUMPTION. THE U.S, MILITARY [REINFORCED THESE STEREOTYPES BY BUILDING CAMPTOWNS IN KOREA AND PERPETRATING SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN DURING THE COLD WAR AND SEVERAL U.S. WARS IN ASIA. MAINSTREAM U.S. POPULAR CULTURE CONTINUES TO PERPETUATE THESE STEREOTYPES IN FILMS, TELEVISION SHOWS, AND OTHER MASS MEDIA.

THE NARRATIVE FRAMING OF THE PERPETRATOR HAVING A SEX ADDICTION LED TO RACIST ORIENTALIST AND SEXUALIZED CONFLATION OF ASIAN MASSAGE WORKERS. WE CALL TO STAND WITH OUR EXPLOITED SERVICE WORKERS WHOSE WORK IS UNDERVALUED IN OUR CAPITALIST SOCIETY.

THE SERIES OF ATTACKS AND KILLINGS OF ASIAN AMERICANS ARE A SYMPTOM OF THE MUCH BROADER PROBLEMS OF WHITE SUPREMACY, MISOGYNY, CAPITALISM, AND THE INTERSECTIONAL OPPRESSION THAT MAKES ASIAN/ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND BIPOC PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE, IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY. THERE HAS BEEN A 114% INCREASE IN ANTI-ASIAN HATE SINCE THE 2020 PANDEMIC, WITH ROUGHLY 3,800 REPORTED INCIDENTS OF ANTI-ASIAN HATE, MOSTLY AGAINST ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN.

SO WHAT CAN BE DONE?

We ask law enforcement to recognize reports of Asian American racism as hate crimes
We ask law enforcement to take incident reports of racist sexual harassment and assault seriously and to view them as hate crimes
We ask scholars, Media, and community leaders to include Asian Americans when writing or speaking about diversity, inclusion, and ethnic studies
We commit to creating space for dialogue about community building, self-care, and to address the mental health strain that impacts BIPOC
We commit to working unapologetically to put Asian American issues at the forefront rather than as an afterthought in regards to racism, discrimination, and representation
We commit to stand with our Asian and Asian American, Black, Indigenous, and people of color to create space to dismantle white supremacy.

WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR ASIAN AMERICAN AND ASIAN IMMIGRANT GREAT GRAND PARENTS, GRAND PARENTS, PARENTS, SIBLINGS, PARTNERS, COLLEAGUES, STUDENTS AND. FRIENDS AND EXPRESS OUR COMMITMENT TO WORKING THROUGH AN INTERSECTIONAL LENS TO DISMANTLE WHITE RACISM AND MISOGYNY AGAINST CISGENDER. TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER WOMYN.

WHERE CAN | FIND SUPPORT/COMMUNITY/CONTRIBUTE?

http://auntiesewingsquad.com/
https://stopaapihate.org/
https://www.advancingjustice-chicago.org/what-we-do/bystander-intervention-trainings/
https://www napawf.org/?fbclid=IwAR3xtp9Aewa7YKc3FsN4I7UOH20_eUMUnTMoaEoBSyJmTB4IhDzxD9mxXql
https://makenoisetoday.org/
https://compassioninoakland.org/volunteers
https://www.ocapica.org/