Dear Friends,
I am reaching out to the extended museum family of the Harvard Art Museums in the face of Wednesday’s breaking—and heartbreaking—news of the deadly shootings and violence against women of Asian descent in Atlanta. I want to state my own shock and horror—sentiments I know so many of you share—that once again we are confronted by a wave of racist violence that makes it impossible for so many communities in this country to feel safe. Anti-Asian hostility has a long history in the United States. Recently, as Harvard President Larry Bacow pointed out, our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities have been blamed for the current pandemic in both overt and more nuanced ways, with a resulting increase in aggression and even deadly attacks.
Museums and universities have a shared mission—to strive to constantly promote a society in which all people are valued. I want to say emphatically that the Harvard Art Museums stand firmly against Anti-Asian racism. It feels only moments ago that I was writing to you about the murder of George Floyd and so many others and the importance of banding together in support of our black and brown communities. Now, I would ask all of us, individually and as part our places of work and cultural institutions, to take time in the next few days to reflect on how we can best advance the fight against prejudice, xenophobia, and false narratives, the agents that continue to ignite racially-based hatred and violence in our time.
I close with special thoughts, care, and support for our friends, colleagues, and communities of Asian descent, and their families,
Please stay well and stay strong.
Yours,

Martha Tedeschi
Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director
Harvard Art Museums