Press Release

The Asian American Scholar Forum appreciates that the DOJ heard the voices and concerns of the scientific and the Asian American communities. We support the new strategy and welcome the termination of a flawed program that targeted scientists based on national heritage. 
On December 24, 2021, Amy Wax, a Law Professor at the University of Pennsylvania made racist comments in public towards Asian and Asian-American communities, which was in Conversation with Brown University Professor Glenn Loury on the Glenn Show. On January 5, 2022, Amy Wax responded the overwhelming criticisms of her words. She further made worse racist remark: “… I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration”. We, the Asian American Scholar Forum, give our statement to express our strong disagreement of her racist comments.
In November 2021, AASF sent the following letter to Dr. Eric Lander, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to the President, to express the importance of open science and academic freedom, and to submit our comments regarding the implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33), “Presidential Memorandum on United States Government Support Research and Development National Security Policy.”
On September 3rd, 2021, AASF sent the following letter to Judge Thomas A. Varlan, expressing our grave concern about the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s initial prosecution and subsequent decision to seek a retrial of Dr. Anming Hu, a former professor at the University Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK).
On Friday, September 17, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET, AASF will cosponsor the webinar "Effects of Federal Immigration Policy on US Science and All Scientists" with the American Physical Society.
AASF is delighted to announce that Margaret Lewis, Brian Sun, and Peter Zeidenberg have joined the AASF Legal Advisory Council. The Council will advise AASF to build a network of attorneys experienced in defending Asian American scholars, and to stimulate dialogues among scholars, university administrators, government officials, and the general public.
AASF respectfully urges Chancellor Donde Plowman to reinstate Prof. Anming Hu’s tenured faculty position at the University Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and back-pay his full salary and benefits.