AIAA Condemns Violence Toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Written 26 March 2021

March 26, 2021 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher condemning recent violence toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and calling for the aerospace community to work toward creating a diverse and inclusive industry.

“We find ourselves witnessing violence and hatred expressed toward some of our fellow citizens, specifically Asian Americans. Last May, we issued a statement about mistreatment of African Americans in the wake of the tragic and unjust death of George Floyd. We are shocked and saddened to feel the need to issue this additional statement, yet we must voice our support for the Institute’s many Asian American members and staff, their families, and all Asian Americans in the aerospace industry.

AIAA believes it is essential to bring people of all backgrounds together to advance the aerospace industry. AIAA is committed to creating an environment that fosters a diverse and inclusive dialogue.

We know we have a long way to go. We observed last year that the aerospace community does not yet reflect society in terms of race and gender. We must all continue working together so that those not typically seen participating in our challenging industry have the opportunity, and young people see themselves with a future in it.

We invite ongoing, professional, robust dialogue among our members and the aerospace community about the issues we must address to maintain the vitality of the United States in aerospace and defense. We can lead by uniting around the work of our industry – furthering discovery and innovation.”

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, RebeccaG@AIAA.org, 804-397-5270.

About AIAA 
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.