MUIH Community
We write to you today regarding the recent racist and hate filled attacks that have increased against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community since the start of the pandemic. According to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center there have been nearly 3,800 incidents of hate reported to the center in the past year(See HERE). This uptick of violence against the AAPI community is not new. It is indicative of the consistent and persistent racism the community has faced since the founding of this country.
We are deeply troubled by this violence particularly since MUIH sprung into existence through the teachings of Asian medicines. In 1981 we formally welcomed our first acupuncture and herbal medicine class. Our past and our future is inextricably tied to this medicine and our gratitude for its completeness, its wholeness, its spirit is unbounded.
We acknowledge that MUIH is working to improve ourselves and to improve our support of the AAPI community. Our most meaningful allyship work to date began in earnest in the spring of 2020. We recognize this work needs to include all marginalized communities. We will approach our allyship work for the AAPI community in the same way we have for other communities – we will begin by educating ourselves and providing resources for how to support and take action. We will also seek out feedback and continue to work to bring greater diversity to the table in all areas of MUIH operation – hiring, managing, mentoring, outreach and partnership, and curriculum.
We are sharing this link that includes multiple resources to information on the current racist attacks on the AAPI community, the history of anti-Asian racism within the U.S., and ways we can begin showing support: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/. It was created by Annie Wu at https://www.instagram.com/annie_wu_22/. Additionally, we will seek out ways to partner and collaborate with AAPI communities in Howard County.
We will not stand for these horrific actions and will work toward building a better MUIH community.
Marc