The act of giving during the Lunar New Year holidays is as much, if not more, about passing on good wishes and luck for the coming year as it is about the exchange of material goods or cash. This year’s celebration comes close to our recognition of the “shutdown” due to the pandemic but also the rise in hostility and discrimination toward Asian American and Pacific Islanders.  Not wanting to take negativity into the new year, the IU Asian Alumni Association pinned an open letter of prosperity and unwavering support to our IU alumni.

Growing up in Indiana, Lunar New Year was not regularly celebrated in our home, however, as a student at Indiana University, I learned a lot about the rich history and traditions of this holiday together with peers and faculty. Today, I continue to embrace this holiday with loved ones and appreciate my experience at Indiana University having laid an important foundation for my identity and appreciation of culture.

We also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the massive loss of life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it has illustrated ongoing racial disparities on many levels. Black and Brown Americans are dying at disproportionate rates, and APIAs have been victims of hate crimes, including verbal and physical assault and even murder due to racist anti-Asian rhetoric and lies blaming us for the pandemic. Not too long ago, Haitians, Haitian Americans, and members of the LGBTQ community were unjustly blamed for the HIV epidemic. We are saddened that this racist blame culture continues to be pervasive in the country. In this case, the model minority myth continues to silence APIAs and limit mainstream media coverage of anti-Asian violence. This disparity only pins minorities against each other and holds back progress for people of color.

We wish to share this celebration of the Lunar New Year with everyone and hope it can be a reminder of the value of diversity and inclusion. Today, we remain hopeful and committed to camaraderie and kinship across the IU family and the global community.