In response to student demand, Emory Campus Life created a staff position in the Belonging and Community Justice (BCJ) office to support Asian American students and their student organizations. Melissa Paa Redwood, who had worked at the Asian American Cultural Center at Yale University during her graduate studies, was hired as the inaugural Assistant Director in the Office for Racial and Cultural Engagement (RACE) to establish and lead the Asian Student Center (ASC) at Emory.

Because of COVID-19, the ASC would not physically open until Fall 2021. Nevertheless, Redwood and programming assistants Alice Zheng ’21C and Daisy Kim ’22C worked online with various Asian American student organizations on programming, leadership development, and community engagement.

Newly established programs during this academic year included SolidariTEA, WAVES (in collaboration Center for Women), AAPI Heritage Month celebration, and APIDA graduation ceremony.

The timing of Redwood’s hiring proved critical, as the wave of anti-Asian violence across the country during the academic year prompted Emory students to seek help and guidance from the university even as all classes and activities were held online. This was especially the case in the aftermath of the Atlanta Spa Shootings, which occurred only a few miles away from campus in March 2021.

Poster for “Addressing Anti-Asian Violence,” an Event on the Atlanta Spa Shootings