Author's note: This essay was originally issued on August 1, 2020, as my “In Conversation with the President” column of the newsletter of the College Music Society.
This is a story of my complicity in corporate silence but also one of recognition and intervention. Simply put, here, I address manifestations of racism toward Asians and Asian Americans in music schools/departments and at meetings of our professional societies. Reports of anti-Asian incidents have increased since the former U.S. President's reference to the virus with a racist moniker.1 In response, cultural, industry, and political leaders, including President Obama, expressed outrage, and warned against a possible rise in anti-Asian sentiment. A BBC News Report in May 2020 referenced incidents that posed threats to the safety and dignity of Asians, in the aftermath of the then-president's feckless remark.2 More recently, the online ecosystem has also been the site of anti-Asian racism.
My...
