Chao Yang is a postdoc researcher at the Netherlands Cancer Institute and attended the “Stop Asian Hate Protest” earlier this month. He tells us:
“Last year someone woke us up in the middle of the night by shouting “f**k China”. We could hear them banging on our door and window. This person even shattered the glass, and had fled the scene by the time the police arrived. My wife, son, and I were left terrified in our apartment. Racism is not something that only happens far away. It also occurs here in the Netherlands, although it may not always be visible in plain sight. It is important to be aware of that. Being from a marginalized group, I am aware that there is work to be done; we need to take action to stop racism. I attended the ‘Stop Asian Hate Protest’ earlier this month to show my support and encourage people to share their experiences and to speak up. I wanted to attend to increase public awareness.”
As an internationally-oriented institute with many colleagues from abroad, we want to make sure that everybody feels safe and supported. We have established long-term concrete plans by setting up a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) committee, which is dedicated to the promotion of equality and diversity at our institute, to make sure that all our diverse voices are heard, including those of our Asian colleagues and colleagues from other underrepresented communities. It is our duty to uncover new ways to improve the quality of people’s lives and keep them free from harm. We believe that our diversity and inclusion fuels our creativity and innovation in society.
Learn what you can do to support people facing racism and discrimination.