BLOOMINGTON and INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A recent report found that anti-Asian violence has been on the rise in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, the shooting in Atlanta that killed six Asian women has drawn more attention to the on-going issues of racial violence and tensions, even as the investigation points to a more sexually motivated crime. Demonstrators have also taken to the streets to rally for awareness of anti-Asian violence, and Asian American members of Congress will speak during a hearing today about the rise in these incidents of violence and discrimination. Experts from Indiana University Bloomington and IUPUI are available to comment on anti-Asian racism and history, as well as sexual violence.

Melanie Castillo-Cullather

Melanie Castillo-Cullather is director of the Asian Culture Center at IU Bloomington, which aims to promote awareness, understanding, and acceptance of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures, history, and issues as an integral part of the fabric of American life in the United States. (More)

Michin Hong

Michin Hong is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at IUPUI. Her recent area of interest is the impact of anti-Asian racism on mental health and social anxiety, especially among college-age individuals. She has also conducted extensive research on racial and ethnic minority older adults including issues related to family caregiving and home-and-community based services, end-of-life care, and racial/ethnic disparities in accessing and using health care services. (More)

Dina Okamoto

Dina Okamoto is the Herman B Wells Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society at IU. Her current projects investigate intergroup relations between native-born and immigrant groups; the civic and political incorporation of immigrants; the role of community-based organizations in the lives of immigrant parents and youth; and how groups cooperate and organize across various dimensions of difference. (More)

Zoe Peterson

Zoe Peterson is a clinical psychologist and maintains a dual appointment with the Kinsey Institute and the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. She also is director of the Kinsey Institute’s Sexual Assault Initiative. She is a licensed psychologist with an emphasis in sex therapy. She researches sexual consent, sexual assault, sexual coercion and unwanted sex. (More)

Ellen Wu

Ellen D. Wu is associate professor of history at Indiana University Bloomington. As a specialist in 20th-century U.S. history, she focuses her research, writing and teaching interests on Asian Americans, race and immigration. She is the author of the multiple-award-winning "The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority" (Princeton University Press, 2014). (More)

Yunyu Xiao

Yunyu Xiao is an assistant professor at the IU School of Social Work with a joint position at IUPUI and IU Bloomington. Her research aims to address racial and ethnic disparities in suicide and mental health by examining the risks associated with racial discrimination in young people, and the potential protective effect of resilience in these populations. Her work is multi-disciplinary in nature and uses a range of methodological approaches, including epidemiological surveys, advanced statistical modeling, and data science. (More