United University President Frederick E. Kowal issued the following statement in response to the March 16 murders of 8 people in Georgia, six of whom were women of Asian descent:
“UUP, in the strongest possible terms, condemns the attacks on Asian American women in Georgia. We must, as a nation, come together and speak out against all such violence.
“As educators, as health care workers, as family members and as members of our communities, it is incumbent upon all of us as UUP members to stand against all forms of hatred and violence, including hatred and violence motivated by race and/or gender. We must embrace and teach acceptance and tolerance. What happened in Georgia is heartbreaking.
“Everyone, no matter their gender, skin color, sexual identity, or country of origin, deserves to feel safe and live without fear in their communities, at work and in their places of worship. It will take all of us to reverse the bias and end the hate crimes that are on the rise in our country. There is no time to waste. Our nation’s future must be defined by equality, justice and compassion if we are to survive and flourish in our common humanity.”UUP is the nation’s largest higher education union, with more than 42,000 academic and professional faculty and retirees. UUP members work at 29 New York state-operated campuses, including SUNY’s public teaching hospitals and health science centers in Brooklyn, Long Island and Syracuse. It is an affiliate of NYSUT, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the AFL-CIO.
