ADEA Statement Against Racism and Violence Against Individuals of Asian Descent, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders


March 19, 2021—The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) condemns all forms of violence, discrimination, racism, harassment and xenophobia.Immediate Release Contact


We are grieved by the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and bias that has fostered the mistreatment of persons of Asian descent. Although further details regarding this week’s mass shooting in Atlanta are still pending, this tragedy highlights the escalating violence directed toward Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our nation throughout the last year. According to a recent Stop AAPI Hate National Report, hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States increased during the pandemic.

Six of the eight individuals who lost their lives in Atlanta were working-class women of Asian descent, thereby reminding us of the dangers of stereotypical rhetoric associated with socio-economic status, gender, race and sexual identities. It also points to the need to broaden our conversation concerning bias, stereotypes and discrimination, focusing more on intersectionality, and that our identities—race, class, gender and other social constructs—overlap, intersect and cannot be easily separated.

The broadening of this conversation further prompts us as dental educators and health professionals to examine closely the intricacy of our relationships with our patients, students, peers and colleagues that we encounter each day. We must consider these intersecting influences in admissions, promotion, evaluation, teaching, treatment and the desire for health equity, justice and a welcoming, safe, humanistic environment.

We mourn with the families who lost loved ones through this horrendous act of violence and with our nation. We also stand in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander students, faculty, staff, residents and fellows.


A resolution that was adopted by the 2021 ADEA House of Delegates reads as follows:

  • ADEA stands firmly and unequivocally against all aspects and forms of hate, bias, harassment and racism and affirms its commitment to the reduction and elimination of these destructive entities in all aspects of dental education.
  • ADEA recognizes racism as an urgent public health crisis that significantly impacts oral health and oral health education.
  • Together, with our counterparts in health professions education, ADEA is committed to collaborating on the development of policy to combat racism, harassment, discrimination and bias in health care and health care education globally.  



We, therefore, call upon all members of dental education, health professions education and the health care workforce to join ADEA in its steadfast resolve to develop programs, policies and practices to eliminate all forms of insidious hate, discrimination, bias, harassment and inequity, along with barriers to health equity, educational access and structurally/culturally competent care.




About ADEA: The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is The Voice of Dental Education. Our mission is to lead and support the health professions community in preparing future-ready oral health professionals. Our members include all 79 accredited U.S. and Canadian dental schools, more than 800 allied and advanced dental education programs, more than 50 corporations and approximately 15,000 individuals. Our activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings and communications, including the esteemed Journal of Dental Education®, as well as the dental school application services ADEA AADSAS®, ADEA PASS®, ADEA DHCAS® and ADEA CAAPID®




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