The murders of eight individuals in Georgia on Tuesday, six of them of Asian descent, was another terrifying act of xenophobia, racism, and brutality against our Asian American communities that have shaken us all to the core.

If you are experiencing increased fear, anxiety, or sorrow, please know that you are not alone. Many other communities stand in solidarity and mourning with you. Yesterday, Vice
Chancellor of Student Affairs Lori Reesor and I added our voices to the many who have spoken out about these terrible events.

We also want to hear your voices. In that spirit, we are inviting you to a processing space for APIDA faculty and staff at noon tomorrow, March 19, on Zoom.

Please join us starting at 12 p.m. CDT tomorrow using the Zoom meeting info below. You should also receive an Outlook calendar invitation for this virtual gathering
from our office.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92112508072?pwd=dU1rOWI3NTJoYmhlWGs3RktvaEhtdz09

Meeting ID: 921 1250 8072

Passcode: 978614

If you have a colleague who would benefit from this processing space but was not included, please forward this invitation and encourage them to sign up to hear about future Affinity Group Gatherings. This processing space does not replace the next regular monthly gathering, which is scheduled for April 8th.

In April, the DDEEA will host a broader virtual town hall to address this issue in more depth during APIDA Heritage Month. Please keep an eye out for an invitation to that gathering as well.

We hope to see you tomorrow at noon. Please reach out with any questions.

In community,

Cheryl B. Gittens, Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion

Anju Reejhsinghani, Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Administration

Eric Williams, Interim Assistant Vice Provost for Student Diversity and Scholarship Programs