We see you. We believe you. You matter.

Over the past year, the violence against the Asian/Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has significantly increased. This anti-Asian climate cultivated an environment that allowed a brutal mass murder last week that targeted Asian-owned businesses and resulted in eight people shot, six of whom were Asian American women.

We say their names: 

Soon C. Park, age 74

Hyun J. Grant, age 51

Suncha Kim, age 69

Yong A. Yue, age 63

Delaina Ashley Yaun, age 33

Paul Andre Michels, age 54

Xiaojie Tan, age 49

Daoyou Feng, age 44

We send our deepest sympathies to their loved ones and their extended communities. The Women’s Center supports our AAPI students, faculty, and staff and we commit to showing up in solidarity with the AAPI community as continued anti-Asian racism and xenophobia persist in the U.S and transnationally. 

According to research from Stop AAPI Hate, there were nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents in the past year, including shunning, slurs, and physical attacks. It is of considerable concern that 68% of these attacks have been directed at women. Last week’s violence was not an "isolated event," nor was it because of a "bad day" or a "sexual addiction.” It is the direct result of a growing escalation of violence, harassment, and xenophobia against Asians, Asian-Americans, and Pacific Islanders and stems from a long history of white supremacist oppression directed against all people of color.

Grace Lee Boggs reminds us that, "The only way to survive is by taking care of one another." 

We believe this so firmly that we put this quote on our Women’s Center t-shirts. One of the ways we can take care of each other is by digging in deep, learning with open hearts, unpacking our biases and misunderstandings, and committing to doing better. While we know many places have been sharing resources for support and further learning, we’re offering our own (non-exhaustive!!) list we curated from an intersectional feminist and critical social justice lens. You can also access additional resources here and here. 

Articles + Other Publications

The Long History Of Sexual And Physical Violence Asian Women Face In The U.S. 

How the history of spas and sex work fits into the conversation about the Atlanta shootings

Fetishized, sexualized and marginalized, Asian women are uniquely vulnerable to violence 

A specific kind of racism': Atlanta shootings fuel fears over anti-sex-work ideology 

NPR's Code Switch: Screams And Silence

Black and Asian American Solidarities: A Reading List

Organizations to Follow

Red Canary Song: A Grassroots Collective of Asian and Migrant Sex Workers, Organizing Transnationally 

 Website | Instagram | Twitter

AAPI Women Lead

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Asian American Feminist Collective  

Website | Instagram  | Twitter

Asian Americans Advancing Justice: As the national voice advocating for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across a range of issue areas  

Website | Instagram | Twitter

Hollaback’s Bystander Intervention Trainings to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment.

Learn more and register here via their website.

VietRISE: VietRISE advances social justice and builds power with working-class Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County 

Website | Instagram

Artists to Follow

Calista Ogburn (Writer, Podcaster, UMBC Class of 2021; she/her pronouns): This summer Ogburn published “this is it.” This poetry book brings to light the rising anti-Asian racism as the spread of COVID-19 has increased. It captures Ogburn’s experience of loneliness, heightened anxiety, and feeling lost during a global pandemic. Ogburn also just launched a podcast called Morning Glory.

Website | Podcast

Jenny Yang (Comic, Writer, Activist; she/her pronouns): Yang is the co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy, a nationally touring comedy showcase of Asian-American women. Before comedy, Yang was a labor organizer working with over 85,000 people for equity.

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Chanel Miller (Artist, Activist, Writer, Survivor; she/her pronouns): Miller is a writer and artist who received her BA in Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her critically acclaimed memoir, KNOW MY NAME, was a New York Times bestseller and received numerous awards as one of the best books of 2019. Her Instagram features comics and illustrations that explore themes of identity, healing, and politics.

Instagram|Website

Quyen Nguyen-Le(Filmmaker, Writer; they/them pronouns): Nguyen-Le is a queer Vietnamese American filmmaker whose films examine the intersections of identity. 

Instagram | Website

Laura Chow Reeve/radicalroadmaps (Illustrator, Designer, Organizer; she/her pronouns): Radical Roadmaps is a graphic recording and illustration practice, where Reeve aims to create accessible and visual political education tools. Particularly focused on working with BIPOC led organizations and organizers, Reeve has created graphics on topics such as base building, mental health stigma, sex work decriminalization, reproductive justice, prison abolition & more. 

Instagram | Website | Alt-Text for Instagram

Women’s Center Blog Entries: Asian and Pacific Islander American Voices

Survivorship Looks Different in the Asian American Community

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Samiksha Manjani

Across Worlds and Identities: The Spaces in Between

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Prachi Kochar

Wish I could be [seen] in your world

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Yoo-Jin Kang

Invisible, often liminal- Growing up as an Asian-American Immigrant Woman in the United States

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Yoo-Jin Kang

Women of Color: Telling Our Stories, Our Way. A Portrait Series by Yoo-Jin Kang

Posted May 5, 2015.

Access the full category archive here.

Telling Our Stories: Asian Voices

During the spring 2015 semester, the Women’s Center and Women of Color Coalition was awarded a Campus Action Project grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in order to fund student led projects that fight stereotypes and biases. Our project, called “Telling Our Stories: I’m Not/I Am,” aimed to (1) raise awareness and reject stereotypes about women of color and (2) create space for women of color voices and counternarratives. We launched our project with the “I’m Not” poster campaign, with hopes to disrupt the misguided assumption that racialized gender stereotyping is not a problem for our campus community.

To view some of the “I’m Not” posters featuring Asian community members’ experiences, click here. 

You can also view images from the project’s events and all the Telling Our Stories posters here. 

To our AAPI community members, and especially those who identify as women - We see you. We believe you. You matter. 

As a student, you’ve probably heard how important engaging in internships, research, or service- learning is during your time at UMBC. If you’re a first-gen college student or adult learner who may be navigating employment and/or family responsibilities, you might be wondering “how can I do it?” or “is it even possible for someone like me?” 

Internships, research, and service-learning are referred to as High-Impact Practices, which means that they often lead to success for students while in school and after graduation. Though these experiences can require significant time and effort on the part of the student, this doesn’t mean they have to be off-limits to busy students who are navigating multiple other roles in their lives. Explore the resources below to discover ways you can get creative and get involved to gain experience as a UMBC student. 

Internships

The UMBC Career Center works with students on a number of topics, including preparing to gain work experience. Internships are the opportunity to gain real world experience within a given industry or field as a student. Many times, these positions lead to full-time job opportunities, whether it be at the same company or by building onto your resume and opening the door for employment with another company. Additionally, these experiences help you explore the career possibilities that exist for your major and help you determine the best job fit for you. Below you’ll find a few suggestions for adult learners and first gen students to explore. Learn more about internships more generally here. Questions? Contact internships@umbc.edu. 

Opportunities Include:

• Virtual Internships offer the opportunity to work remotely from your own home. Check out Vault, InsideSherpa, and Chegg to get started on the search.  

• Micro Internships are short term positions that give exposure to a specific field, typically through project work.

• Earning academic credit and/or a transcript notation through the Intern Success Practicum course for a current internship or industry relevant work experience is a great way to tie your experience directly to your academic program.

• Already employed? Try approaching your manager at your current job about doing a special project that relates to your major or career goals!

Community Engagement 

Community engagement is the collaboration between higher education institutions and their larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. Community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good. You can become involved in Community Engagement with The Shriver Center in numerous ways. Questions? Contact Kasey Venn at kasven1@umbc.edu. 

Opportunities Include:

• Service-Learning (096 Community Service & Learning Practicum)

• Summer Scholars Programs

• PeaceCorps Prep

• Ability to attend and present at conferences

Research

Undergraduate research can help you clarify your choice of degree program, career interests, and post-graduation plans. Learn about how to get started in research and UMBC resources for funding, presenting, and publishing your research or creative work here! Questions? Contact April Householder at aprilh@umbc.edu.

Opportunities Include:

• Undergraduate Research Awards (up to $1500)

• Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD)

• UMBC Review: Journal of Undergraduate Research

• Off-campus research opportunities (REUs)

• Presentation Grants (formerly Travel Awards)

• Prestigious Scholarships

Name:Dakota Pereira

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:National Gallery of Art

Position Title:Librarian Technician (Student Assistant)

Major(s)/Minor(s):Ancient Studies & History

Current Class Level:Sophomore

Work Term:Spring 2021

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

As a librarian technician intern at the National Gallery of Art's Vertical Files, I am tasked with  working with the collection's ephemera–which are materials that were produced with the intent of being disposed of or only had short-term usefulness. These artist materials, such as exhibition notices, pamphlets, among other written works, are valuable to researchers, scholars and the curious public alike.

I largely do telework linking Library of Congress name headers to the artists in the Vertical Files, but I also do work for other departments of the library such as book items for the Circulation Dept. Recently, I had the chance to identify artists' digitized materials for a collection based on David Driskell's 1976 exhibition “Two Centuries of Black American Art”! The projects you're assigned always changes, but it is at a steady pace.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard of this position through an email I received from UMBC's History Humanities email listing, I believe during Fall 2020. I made use of a Resume Review to refine my resume before submission and an Interview Practice site recommended.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization? 

This position has been very exciting because not only does it allow me to exercise my thinking during my work, it lets me see how closely tied museum and library settings are linked together. 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe I've made impact through my work by making these difficult-to-view materials more accessible for researchers–be it new or experienced ones. Having this access allows for new insights from written culture that would otherwise be obscured. This would not only bring about new potential research and ideas for people to engage, but for everyone to take a close look to appreciate the attention given to these artists' work.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

Be confident in what expertise you have, even if it was an unpaid opportunity. Having worked in a highschool library before, the experience I had with that position still exists even if it wasn't a paid position–don't be afraid of including valid experience that applies to an internship you're applying for. Adding references for such experiences helps verify that you do have such a background too!

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week?Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Monday!