The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania and The South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia condemn the anti-Asian racism of University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Amy Wax and call on the University of Pennsylvania to hold her accountable

January 11, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  – Distribution Copy

Contact:

• Chi-Ser Tran, [email protected];
• Neil Subramanya,  [email protected] 

The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania (APABA-PA) and the South Asian  Bar Association of Philadelphia (SABA-Philly) condemn University of Pennsylvania Carey Law  School professor Amy Wax’s recent comments, which were aired on the December 20, 2021  episode of “The Glenn Show” podcast. Her comments were anchored in racism, primarily  against Asians, Asian Pacific Americans, and Black Americans, and steeped in white  supremacist ideology. We are joined in this call by the National Asian Pacific American Bar  Association, the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania, and the Barristers’ Association of  Philadelphia, Inc.

Professor Wax’s anti-Asian and white supremacist views are indefensible as scholarship and  rooted in nothing more than bigotry. When such prejudiced opinions, such as the ones  espoused by Professor Wax on December 20, are publicly broadcast by a tenured professor at  one of the top law schools in the country, they encourage and normalize racism and white  supremacy.

APABA-PA and SABA-Philly call on the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School to take  appropriate action to address Professor Wax’s abhorrent comments, which have no place in any  setting—let alone an academic one. We call on the Law School to heed the testimony of  students directly affected by Professor Wax’s comments and conduct, to recognize the harm  inflicted on students, potential students, and alumni by Professor Wax’s racist and white  supremacist views, and to make transparent all policies used to assess her status. Moreover,  we call on the broader legal community to demonstrate that Professor Wax’s opinions have no  place in this country.

APABA-PA and SABA-Philly also denounce those persons, such as Brown University sociology  professor and podcast host Glenn Loury, who provide a platform for Professor Wax to further  promote hate. Her bigoted comments serve only to feed an appetite for hatefulness and to pave  the way for discrimination and violence against vulnerable and marginalized people. We call on  all media outlets, including social media influencers, to use their forums responsibly and to  decline to amplify messages like these that serve no purpose.

During a time when anti-Asian sentiment has been increasingly acted upon in the form of violent  hate crimes against Asian Pacific Americans, Professor Wax’s bigotry adds fuel to an already  dangerous situation.

Her comments are part of a long line of anti-Asian hate and anti-immigrant sentiment that has  resulted in tragic results for our communities. The killings of Vincent Chin in Detroit, Michigan,  Ming Hai Loo in Raleigh, North Carolina, Navroze Mody in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Heng Lim  in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania occurred at a time when much animosity was stirred up  nationwide against Japanese automobile manufacturers and other Asian companies for  challenging the market dominance of American corporations. Asian Americans were blamed for  the economic decline in the labor market, just as they have been blamed for the lockdowns  related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Words have consequences, and Professor Wax’s reckless  comments should have no refuge in our community.

NAPABA, HBAPA, and the Barristers’ Association have co-signed our statement.

APABA-PA, an affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, represents the  interests of the Asian Pacific American law students, lawyers, and judges and the Asian Pacific  American community across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by supporting the  advancement of Asian Pacific American attorneys and promoting justice, equity, and legal  access, especially for all Asian Pacific American communities.  

SABA-Philly seeks to strengthen the rapidly growing Philadelphia South Asian American legal  community with a recognized and trusted forum for professional growth and advancement, and  promotes access to justice and civil rights for the South Asian American community.