Yesterday, the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) convened a meeting with Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Grace Meng and Chair Emeritus Judy Chu, with Elizabeth Rao, daughter of Dr. Jane Ying Wu. Dr. Wu was a distinguished neuroscientist whose tragic death has sparked national concern about accountability and the treatment of scholars and researchers in U.S. institutions.
Congresswoman Grace Meng, Elizabeth Rao, Congresswoman Judy Chu, and AASF Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa meet in Washington, D.C.
The meeting offered policymakers a powerful opportunity to hear directly from Dr. Wu’s family and to reflect on the broader implications for the U.S. research community.
Rao also shared a letter with CAPAC Chair Grace Meng, Chair Emeritus Judy Chu, and the full CAPAC leadership and membership before the meeting. The letter chronicles her mother’s life and career. She shared how Dr. Wu balanced raising her family in a home filled with love and running her lab full-time, even while she was battling cancer.
“Sharing with you what happened to my mom and our family is an important part of my way to keep my mom’s legacy alive, and to speak up for our community, in my mom’s memory. She would have wanted me to share her story in the hopes of protecting other people in the present and in the future.
I ask you on behalf of my family to please help me keep my mom’s memory alive. I cannot do it alone. I need your voices….
Mom survived cancer, but was destroyed by an insidious racism and discrimination in this country. She prepared us to face racism and sexism with bravery. As her children, we carry this with us: her upstanding morals and conviction to fight for justice.” – Excerpt from a letter by Elizabeth Rao, Dr. Wu’s daughter.
Dr. Jane Ying Wu and Elizabeth at Tidal Basin, Washington, D.C, 1992
This meeting builds on AASF’s ongoing advocacy efforts to elevate the voices of scientists, scholars, and researchers and to inform policymakers through data, lived experiences, and community engagement. To learn more about Dr. Wu, please see this AASF co-led community letter outlining concerns raised in the wake of Dr. Wu’s death. The letter was signed by more than 1,000 current and former faculty members across 44 states and the District of Columbia, representing over 300 institutions nationwide.
“As we consider the future of our country, it is essential that our public leaders listen to the experiences of those directly impacted and their families,” said Asian American Scholar Forum Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa. “AASF truly appreciates CAPAC Chair Meng and Congresswoman Chu for creating space and opportunity for Elizabeth to share her story. I commend Elizabeth for her courage and compassion to speak up. Through this conversation and many more in the future, I hope we can forge a future where Dr. Wu’s tragedy is never repeated again.”
AASF remains committed to working with policymakers, academic institutions, and community leaders to advance solutions that protect scientists, scholars, and researchers and reinforces our American values of excellence, fairness, and justice.