As members of the Oberlin Asian/Pacific American Alumni Association spanning the past four decades, we join other alumni in expressing shock, disappointment and outrage over the events of bigotry and prejudice that have plagued the campus over the past several weeks. Not only do these abhorrent acts of hate lie in stark contrast with the community standards, mission and history of Oberlin, but they threaten the collective safety and wellbeing of a diverse community, which continues to be committed to creating a just world.

First, we write to express our solidarity with the students who spoke out and held the institution to account: Continue to be bold; we stand with you. Seek comfort in the fact that you will emerge from these experiences stronger and more resilient. We empathize with your struggles and heartache in the wake of recent events and applaud your sustained efforts to actively and swiftly combat the racism, homophobia, xenophobia, gender-based violence and other forms of oppression as they continue to plague our society. This fight continues not only in the microcosm of Oberlin, but in many of the communities where we, as alumni, currently live, work and struggle. Your struggle is ours.

To the faculty and staff, especially those from the Multicultural Resource Center, we are grateful for your presence. Your contributions, in conjunction with those of others who came before, have sustained us and will be an enduring legacy for all those who pass through Oberlin. We recognize the many challenges you face, especially at moments like these and reach out to you with love and solidarity.

To the administration, we commend your efforts to engage in open dialogue regarding recent events, but challenge you to consider the conditions at Oberlin that allowed such incidents to manifest. We ask that you address not only overt expressions of oppression, but also its myriad of implicit forms. We urge you to continue to actively seek out the voices of students, faculty, staff and alumni in addressing institutional and other subtle forms of discrimination by mobilizing all necessary resources and actions to do so. Finally, we hope that you work with continued vigor towards giving truth to the language of social justice and fostering a community empowered to carry out its promise.

Since the administration looks to alumni for continued involvement and support, we request the same from Oberlin. We call upon the administration to explicitly communicate the processes and policies undertaken, in coordination with the campus community, in establishing robust and sustainable change.

– Members of the Oberlin Asian/Pacific American Alumni Association