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Maxwell Museum Statement on Anti-Asian Racism and Violence

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The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico works toward greater understandings of the fullness of human experiences and speaks out against racism and violence targeting Asians and Asian Americans. 

There is a long history behind this xenophobia in the U.S. that most recently has found voice in conspiracy theories and amplification of stereotypes, resulting in increased violence directed at this community.

Here in the U.S. Southwest, the history of this violence finds its roots in the first wave of Chinese immigrants who came to build the transcontinental railroads and work in mines. Upon completion of the railroad lines, in 1882, the United States passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited permanent immigration by Chinese laborers and demanded the removal Chinese immigrant workers already in the United States. The first border patrol on the U.S. southern border was actually formed in Texas to prevent expelled Chinese migrants from returning to the country. Later, during WWII, Japanese Americans were interred by the U.S. government, held in internment camps and relocation centers in the American West, including in California, New Mexico, Texas, North Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Arkansas.

We at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology stand in solidarity with Asians and Asian Americans, rejecting and speaking out against racism and violence. We urge you to do the same.

 

Visit https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/ for more information and helpful resources.