(Note: This letter has been endorsed by the union of ASEs at UW, UAW local 4121)
To the members of the University of Washington community,
We, the undersigned, are asking for the University to center attention and support of all our Afghan students, faculty, and staff who study and work amongst us and are enduring unimaginable trauma and anxiety these days.
The news and images from Afghanistan shock and sadden us all. As such, we think it is imperative that our UW community comes together to provide support in clear and focused ways to those among us who are, and will be grappling with extreme anxiety in coming days and weeks. In addition to expressing our support for Afghans at this time, we are asking the University of Washington administration to provide tangible resources for Afghans in our community.
Specifically, we would like to ask that the administration reach out to Afghan students, faculty, and staff and communicate with them about trauma-informed and culturally relevant resources that are available to them, such as free counseling sessions with experts at Hall Health. We ask that the University administration urge department heads and chairs to directly reach out to those known to them to be affected by the current situation in Afghanistan, and to send department-wide communications to express solidarity, urge action, and make available mental health resources.
We also urge individuals to take action to provide support to our large Afghan community at the University of Washington, and the Washington state at large:
- Read, listen to, and amplify Afghan voices
- Call your representatives using the script (
https://bit.ly/3j0nOUm) from Afghans For a Better Tomorrow
- Volunteer for Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services (
https://bit.ly/3svb37p) to assist with the resettlement of Afghan newcomers expected to arrive to the Seattle/Tacoma region
- Become a Scholar at Risk network campus (
https://bit.ly/3ghbxcb)
- Sign the Scholars at Risk letter of solidarity with Afghans (
https://bit.ly/3geRWt3)
- Spread the word about the Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund (
https://bit.ly/3z1vP0D), a program that arranges and funds fellowships for threatened or displaced scholars at designated places of higher education around the world
- Support CAIR Washington (
https://bit.ly/3iY6NKj)
- Donate your mileage to Miles 4 Migrants (
https://bit.ly/2W9wD4U)
- Learn bystander skills, be vigilant about the rise of xenophobia
In the wake of the devastating news coming from Afghanistan, it is crucial that we at the UW not only show our support for Afghans through words of solidarity, but also through concrete acts of care, such as providing easily accessible and free mental health support. We see such actions as what is immediately and urgently needed, and hope to remain engaged with the UW administration to further support the Afghan community amongst us as this fluid situation unravels.
Sincerely,
