From President Mestan: A Statement of Support for the AAPI Community
I write to share a statement of support for all members of the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, locally and across the world.
Last week's tragic events in Atlanta are unacceptable acts of aggression and violence against AAPI people, clearly motivated by racism and hatred. Today, as always, NYCC stands firmly in support of and solidarity with our AAPI community members, and we grieve for those whose lives were senselessly taken.
Our College holds "diversity, inclusiveness, and tolerance in all interactions" as one of our core values. These are more than words; this is a commitment by our College to ensure all members of the NYCC family feel welcome, respected, heard and safe -- because the diversity of each individual's ethnicity, race, beliefs, gender, identity and other qualities is valued and is what makes our #NYCCBlue community strong.
As professionals in healthcare we are called to serve humanity. To do so, we must mindfully reject systemic racism and actively challenge our own biases while also embracing social justice. We apologize that we may not have reflected this clearly in our past communications; we continue to learn and strive to do ever better in this important work. We encourage our community to explore resources (including those below) that can help us each be better informed and in solidarity with our AAPI friends and colleagues, and with all historically marginalized people.
On a related note, I would like to share sincere thanks with the leadership of NYCC's Students for Social Diversity Awareness (SSDA) club for their advocacy around this and other justice-oriented issues. Conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging -- particularly when faced with the ugliness of hate-motivated violence -- can be painful and difficult. However, these conversations are critical and silence cannot be acceptable. Thank you to SSDA leadership for engaging in these hard conversations and for pursuing accountability, at our College and beyond.
If you are in need of support around recent or related events, NYCC counselors are here to help. You can contact the counseling office at counseling@northeastcollege.edu or 315-568-3064; you can also call 2-1-1 for Lifeline, or contact your local mental health provider. Employees are also able to reach out to our Employee Assistance Program through Human Resources. If you are a witness to or victim of an instance of bias or discrimination, please report the incident to the College, either by contacting Campus Safety or via our Community Reporting forms.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice -- Atlanta - Call for signatories to a statement denouncing systemic violence against AAPI communities and calling for community-centered response.
- Stop AAPI Hate - Tracks and responds to incidents of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US.
- Show Up - Guide to Bystander Intervention
- How to be an AAPI Ally
- COVID-19 Fueling AAPI Racism
In solidarity,
Dr. Michael Mestan
President, New York Chiropractic College