Supporting Penn’s Asian community

A year marked by the global pandemic was also marked by anti-Asian xenophobia, evidenced most recently in the Atlanta shootings. The Trump administration’s reaction to COVID-19…

Calling it the Wuhan flu, kung flu, the China virus, struck multiple chords. That rhetoric, combined with the increased violence toward Asians documented on the news and in lived experience results in many people living in fear of stepping out, even for something as simple as getting groceries.

In response, the University launched the Task Force on Supporting Asian and Asian American Students and Scholars at Penn in April 2020, affirming its commitment to diversity and anti-discrimination. As part of the task force, Van Do has been working with Penn Global and Pablo Cerdera, associate director for restorative practices at Penn, to hold healing spaces for Asian and Asian American populations.