A Safe Space to Share

The killing of eight Atlanta-area spa workers on March 16 put a spotlight on anti-Asian racism and had a profound impact on many in the Maxwell community, including graduate students Varsha Srinivasan and Angelo Baldado.

One day after the shootings, Srinivasan and Baldado approached Gladys McCormick, associate professor of history and Maxwell’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, to coordinate a virtual gathering where they and others could share their anguish and personal experiences.

On Friday, March 19, nearly 50 members of the Maxwell community gathered for a virtual community dialogue. McCormick’s graduate assistant, Kyaira Coffin, helped organize and emceed.

“It was powerful and cathartic,” says McCormick, who is also the Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations. “One of the things we heard from students was the significance of providing space for them to safely and constructively talk about their experiences and actively listen to others. This is foundational to our ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”

Srinivasan, who was born in India and raised in the U.S., says it was “refreshing” to see so many fellow students and faculty voices from the Asian and Pacific Islander community. “It was a space to have brave conversations and be vulnerable,” she says.

Baldado says he was “extraordinarily grateful” for how quickly it came together. “It’s what I needed during that time,” he adds.

The virtual event was inspired by race and ethnicity intergroup dialogue circles that began in the spring semester. Those circles have been limited to 12 to 14 participants each session and followed guidelines to encourage inclusivity and openness. “As with the small group dialogue circles, we told students, faculty and staff, ‘It’s ok to not have a solution; it’s OK that this just be a space where we talk,’” says McCormick of the March 19 gathering.

Attendees included Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology, who helped lead an all-campus forum the following week. “I think the virtual gathering initiated by Maxwell students reflects the genuine desire among our community to share and support each other in the face of escalating anti-Asian racism and violence,” says Ma. “The fact that it came together so quickly and so many of us including our dean, faculty and students were able to join and open up their hearts is truly remarkable.”

—Jessica Youngman