Scientific Espionage, Open Exchange, and American Competitiveness
Professor Xiaoxing Xi, who was wrongfully arrested for espionage, was awarded the 2020 Andrei Sakharov Prize of the American Physical Society for his human rights advocacy work. He speaks online on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at 4:00pm.
Please pre-register for the Zoom meeting. 
Amid rapidly escalating tension between the United States and China, professors, scientists, and students of Chinese ethnic origin, as well as those engaging in academic collaborations with China, are under heightened scrutiny by the federal government. In 2015, I became a casualty of this campaign despite being innocent. This experience gave me insights into the challenges Chinese scientists face and the immediate threat to the open environment in fundamental research on university campuses.
Co-sponsored by: LSA Physics, INDIGO, and the U-M Association of Chinese Professors.
Statement of Solidarity in Support of #BlackLivesMatter
As members of Indigo: The Asian and Asian American Faculty Alliance, we publicly and explicitly denounce the historical and structural systems of racism and state-sanctioned violence against Black people. We pledge our solidarity with all who demand justice for the senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the many others who have been victims of racist violence by state and non-state actors. We must continue to recognize our complicity, as Asian Americans, in everyday forms of anti-Black racism. The fact that an Asian police officer was involved in Mr. Floyd’s death is evidence of this complicity. We must also recognize that police violence persists in our own neighborhoods. We demand justice for Sha’Teina Grady El in Washtenaw County, and must not forget the police killing of Aura Rosser by the Ann Arbor Police Department in 2015.
As Asian Americans, we have been the beneficiaries of the long struggle led by Black Americans against systemic racism in American society. Yet, we have not done enough collectively to question our cultural norms or to dismantle the structures that perpetuate violence against and maintain inequality for Black Americans and other communities of color.
We resolve to reject our complacency and renew the fight for social justice for our fellow people of color. As faculty members and educators, it is our profound responsibility to do so.
Anti-racist resources for #Black Lives Matter
In order to continue to reflect, learn, (un)learn, and collaborate with others in the struggle to dismantle systemic racism, here are some resources.
BLM Translated (A crowdsourced repository of materials in Asian & Pacific Islander diasporic languages we can all use to navigate difficult discussions about Black Lives Matter, anti-blackness, Black history, immigration history, and police/state-sanctioned violence with our families and communities. )
Articles
TV shows/Books
- Black And Asian-American Feminist Solidarities: A Reading List
- Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting, by Vijay Prashad (library, Indiebound)
- Afro-Asia, by Fred Ho (library, Indiebound)
- Serve the People, by Karen Ishizuka (library, Indiebound)
- The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs (library, Indiebound)
COVID-19: Information, Resources, Support
In response to the rise of AAPI Hate incidents, various groups on campus have been coming together to create helpful information and resources. Please see the link to report incidents.
U-M Task Force Against AAPI Hate – Info & Resources
The Vice Provost Robert Sellers has issued a statement of support.
A Statement of Support for our AsianCommunity during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Asian community has mobilized much needed material resources to fight COVID-19 locally. The Association of Chinese Professors raised over $130,000 in personal donations that obtained tens of thousands of PPE for UM Hospital. Here is an article about those efforts.
Bamboo Ceiling: Barriers to Leadership for Asian Americans, December 6, 2019
Lecture by Fiona Lee, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean for DEI and Professional Development, LSA
“Barriers to Leadership and Implications for Leadership Development”
Friday, December 6, 2019
Professor Lee explores racial stereotypes of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that limit their access to leadership positions in higher education. Read more about her research in her article, “Bamboo Ceiling“
Co-Sponsored By Asian Pacific Islander Desi/American (APID/A) Staff Association
Diversity Initiatives: Op-Ed: An intersectional analysis of the blackface Snapchat
This article appeared in Michigan Daily, Op-Ed: “An intersectional analysis of the blackface Snapchat.” March 26, 2018.
Submitted by Critical Ethnic & Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Graduate Student Group, with support from Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Faculty and United Asian American Organizations Executive Board.
Read the article here.
Educational Resources: Michael Goh, “Inclusive Excellence in Higher Education”
As a part of the INDIGO Salon lecture series, Dr. Michael Goh (Interim Vice President, Office for Equity and Diversity, University of Minnesota) presented March 12, 2018 on “Inclusive Excellence in Higher Education: Lessons from Science, Practice, and one Taxi-Driver.”
Dr. Goh delivered an inspiring lecture, which began with his vision that ”diversity is defined not only as a driving force but a necessary condition for excellence in the work and lives of every student, faculty, and staff member.” He then offered four “Ps:“ Purpose, Principle, Program and People, which, coupled with insightful ways to understand Asian Americans’ self-perception, can facilitate the implementation of Institutional Diversity, Inclusive Excellence, and Intercultural Competence.
For more information on Dr. Goh’s work at the University of Minnesota, see the university’s Institute for Diversity, Equity and Advocacy (IDEA).
Click here to view a handout of slides from Dr. Goh’s presentation: [Handout]
Responses to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s statement on Chinese scholars and students (2/13/18)
Response from the LS&A Dean, Andrew Martin, February 23, 2018.
Response letter issued by the Association of Chinese Professors (ACP) and Indigo, February 23, 2018.
INDIGO Salon with Dr. Michael Goh, Monday 3/12/2018
Michael Goh (Interim Vice President, Office for Equity and Diversity, University of Minnesota)
“Inclusive Excellence in Higher Education: Lessons from Science, Practice, and one Taxi-Driver.”
Monday, March 12, 12-1:30pm, 1014 Tisch Hall
Dr. Goh will discuss the challenges of facilitating diverse perspectives, representation, and strategic initiatives in higher education, as well as his hopes for the future.
View the full abstract here.
A light lunch will be served.
