WALK RESCHEDULED: UK to Host Solidarity Event in Support of Asian American, Pacific Islander Communities
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 27, 2021) — On Wednesday, April 28 and Friday, April 30, partners from the Office for Student Success, Office for Institutional Diversity, International Student and Scholar Services and Student Government Association will host a two-part event focused on solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
“During the AAPI vigil a few weeks ago, I heard over and over again the call for solidarity across communities,” Carol Taylor-Shim, director of diversity in the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice, said. “The AAPI community and other communities of color share the trauma, pain and devastation from racism, oppression and hatred. This event is the start of intentional coalition building across communities. None of us are free unless all of us are free.”
The first part of the event will take place Wednesday, April 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. via Zoom, and will offer healing and learning spaces for students, staff and faculty. The objective is to provide participants with the opportunity to be in community with others who are navigating the impact of violence and hate directed toward marginalized and minoritized communities.
Taylor-Shim believes the learning spaces are important for anyone who wants to increase their capacity to work in solidarity with communities other than their own and for anyone who wants to engage in actions in line with ally and accomplice behaviors.
The second part of the event, which will now take place Friday, April 30 at 2 p.m., is a Solidarity Walk (this event was rescheduled due to weather earlier this week). The walk will begin at the William T. Young Library and will end at Barker Plaza. Closing remarks from Huajng Maske and student leaders will take place at Barker plaza at the end of the walk.
“As the University of and for Kentucky, we must embrace solidarity as a tool to move UK forward in its unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” said Taylor-Shim. "Grace Lee Boggs, renowned Asian American activist, community leader and intersectional feminist once said, 'The only way to survive is by taking care of one another.' Events like this and the work that comes after are anchored in the necessity of honoring and caring for the humanity of every single community member, regardless of identity or identities."
To register for the event, click here. Once registered, a Zoom link will be sent to you for participation in part one of the event. For questions regarding the event, email Carol Taylor- Shim at carol.taylor@uky.edu.
For more information on the university’s commitment to cultivating diversity, equity and inclusion, click here.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.