A message from ASCLS President Maddie Josephs and the ASCLS Board of Directors:

 

On March 16th, 2021, the murder of eight people, including six Asian women, in the Atlanta metropolitan area brought a tragic light to a deeply disturbing trend of escalating violence nationwide against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Xenophobic political rhetoric amplifying negative, pervasive cultural norms is inciting a cycle of hate-based violence against members of these communities. Though acutely felt now, our country has a long history of chronic discrimination against Asian immigrants and Asian-Americans beginning as early as the 19th Century. Because of this, we grieve the loss of Xiaojie Tan, Hyun Jung Grant, Paul Andre Michels, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Daoyou Feng, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, and Yong Ae Yue.

Many of our valued colleagues are members of the AAPI community. They make up a significant proportion of our workforce yet visibility for their presence and contributions to our healthcare system can be limited.

To our colleagues: We see you. We hear you. We support you. We stand with you against this wave of hate.

The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science condemns the violence and those who promote it. ASCLS urges all legal authorities to fully investigate and swiftly prosecute these crimes, while preventing the distortion of their decision-making that can arise when perpetrators are white, and victims are people of color.

ASCLS is deeply concerned that the terror generated by these acts will isolate members of these communities leading to an underreporting or failure to report incidents. We are releasing this public statement to encourage our AAPI colleagues and allies to report any incidents, including discrimination experienced in their workplaces. We will support you.

ASCLS has signed onto the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta petition as a sign of our support and encourage each of our members to do the same.

Hate has no place in our country, and we are collectively responsible for eliminating it. Our society is committed to being a place where we can come together to learn more about ourselves by learning about others.