Philosophy Club Meeting
Anti-Asian Violence in the Wake of COVID-19
Please join us at our first meeting of the University of Hartford Philosophy Club Online this Wednesday, Sept. 1 from 1p.m. to 2 p.m. as Fr. Joe Cheah, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Saint Joseph.
The Asian American community has faced two viruses during this pandemic: the novel coronavirus and the moral virus of hate and racism which is spreading faster than the public health crisis caused by a biological pathogen. Since the start of 2021, there has been a disturbing trend of violent crimes involving physical assaults on elderly and women of Asian descent across the country. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University at Santa Barbara reports that hate crimes in 2020 were down 7 percent nationally but Anti-Asian hate crimes soared to 149 percent in major cities across the United States and, in Sacramento and New York City, they have skyrocketed to 700 percent and 833 percent respectively.
This presentation will attempt to answer the questions – “Why is anti-Asian violence on the rise?” “What has been done to address this issue?” – from a historical, political, and theological perspectives.
Fr. Joe has been given talks on anti-Asian racism across the country and is currently writing a book on this topic. For background of Fr. Joe, see link to his interview on Profiles in Catholicism:https://www.catholicprofiles.org/post/an-interview-with-father-joseph-cheah-osm-ph-d
The University of Hartford Philosophy Club Online:
Meetings: Wednesday, 1p.m.-2 p.m.
WebEx link: https://hartford.webex.com/hartford/j.php?MTID=m41d9f7fef15de4bb58eebaf6645a1ffe
Note: If the link below is not functional, then cut and paste it into your search line or URL line and hit “enter”.
Meeting Password: ACwqT3MBG33 Toll-free call-in number: 1-877-668-4493
Meeting Number (in case calling in): 171 628 0135
An ongoing weekly tradition at the University since 2001, the University of Hartford Philosophy Club is a place where students, professors, and people from the community at large meet as peers. Sometimes presentations are given, followed by discussion. Other times, topics are hashed out by the whole group.
Presenters may be students, professors, or people from the community. Anyone can offer to present a topic. The mode of presentation may be as formal or informal as the presenter chooses.
Please be a part of us as we continue this great tradition online.
Brian D. Skelly, Philosophy
413-273-2273