March 19, 2021

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

On behalf of the entire Bennington Community, I want to acknowledge the sadness, anxiety, fear and anger that many of our Asian American and Pacific Islander friends and colleagues may be feeling right now.

The violent murders committed this week were hate crimes, the act of one individual but fomented by the broader social forces of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. And they are part of an unmistakable uptick in anti-Asian violence over the past year in the United States.

We stand in solidarity with our AAPI and BIPOC community members and we are committed to rooting out these heinous ideas wherever we find them, both here at home and in the larger world. This is a responsibility we all must share and we must approach it with a fierce sense of urgency. See below for more information about how to take action.

As always, we have resources available to help support any student who is struggling today. If you would like to speak with someone, please do not hesitate to reach out to Psychological Services. We would also like to hear from students about what might be most helpful to support your well-being in the wake of these events. Feel free to send us your thoughts at president@bennington.edu.

In solidarity,

Laura Walker
President

Resources for Fighting Anti-Asian Hate

Get Educated

Take a Bystander Intervention virtual training to stop anti-Asian harassment
Go deep on the history, contributions, and challenges faced by Asian Americans with this 5-part series from PBS
Read about the centuries-old history of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S.

Take Action

Report hate crimes to the FBI
Follow the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which has called for a national day to speak out against AAPI hate on March 26. More details to come.

Resources, Support, and Ways to Give

Stop AAPI Hate
AAPI Progressive Action
AAPI Women Lead
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian Mental Health Collective
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
APIA Vote
Tsuru for Solidarity
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium’s (NAKASEC)
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund