De Anza College and the Asian American community are owed an apology

Editor,

We write with deep disappointment and anger. The article "Why was one Foothill-De Anza trustee censured? Emails point to comments about Black administrator's skin color," published on April 19, 2023, includes a quote from President Lloyd Holmes that alleges "APASA didn't support (him) from the beginning (because) he is African American." This statement vilifies an entire community. Yet no one from the Asian Pacific American Staff Association (APASA) was ever contacted by your paper for a response. Given the seriousness of this allegation, this is a gross violation of journalistic ethics.

If you had reached out to APASA, we could have shared the many ways in which we have welcomed and worked with President Holmes since 2020 such as: onboarding support in his first year, relationship building through participation in APASA events, continuing collegial work through shared governance committees, and collaborating to support all our students, staff and faculty.

APASA is proud of its over 30-year record as a highly respected employee affinity group. The publication of President Holmes' unsubstantiated quote has already slandered APASA's reputation, calling into question APASA's trustworthiness.

APASA does NOT support or tolerate any form of racial discrimination. Moreover, we continue to engage colleagues and President Holmes to build a campus culture that puts the practice of mutual understanding and equity at the core of our diverse multiracial college community.

We ask that Palo Alto Weekly apologize for the harm it has caused De Anza College and the Asian American community and look forward to your immediate response.

Members of the De Anza College Asian Pacific American Staff/Faculty Association

Retirees and former members of APASA

Editor's note: The Palo Alto Weekly reached out to APASA for comment shortly before publication of the referenced article. The article has been updated with APASA's statement about Holmes' email.