On January 11, 2023, Billie Davis, who is white, repeatedly stabbed an 18-year-old Indiana University student of Asian descent near campus. Davis later allegedly said that the attack was racially motivated, stating “it would be one less person to blow up our country.”
First and foremost, we keep our thoughts with the victim and the victim’s family as they continue to recover from this heinous act of racial terrorism. Our heart goes out to our Asian and Asian American community at IU as we continue to reach out and support one another in the face of racist hate.
In concert with many other members of the IU and Bloomington communities, the American Studies department condemns this racist violence against Asian and Asian Americans alongside countless other acts of violence that have preceded it in recent months and in history. As a department, we are committed in our fight against the racist structure of white supremacy that continues to threaten the lives of not only Asian and Asian American, but also BIPOC students and faculty in and outside of the classroom.
In solidarity,
Department of American Studies
The College of Arts