In response to a series of incidents at UCLAW this year, which regrettably included my insensitive tweets re the coronavirus and Asian students, UCLA Dean Jennifer Mnookin issued a statement to the law school community, which reads in part:
Unfortunately, last week, a UCLA Law faculty member tweeted out remarks that mirrored xenophobic speculation that has been directed at Asian and Asian-American communities. The faculty member, Stephen Bainbridge, stated that he had been ill recently, and wondered if one of the Chinese students in his class might have brought coronavirus to campus. These tweets were offensive and harmful, particularly given the widespread hostility that has been directed at Asian and Asian-American communities as a result of this pandemic. I recognize that these tweets harmed and deeply pained many members of our community and most particularly our Chinese LL.M. students, a number of whom are in his class this semester and who could well have felt singled out and unwelcome because of his tweet. As members of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association pointed out in their thoughtful letter addressed to me and others, “Language has a viral quality—it can pollute, infect, and distort our perception of the world and each other.” Additionally, I appreciate that our students issued their letter “with an eye towards community healing, closure, and engagement.”
After hearing from students and on his own accord, Professor Bainbridge delivered apologies to the students who contacted him, on Twitter and on his blog. He acknowledged, “There are unquestionably far too many strains of xenophobia in this country right now, especially taking the form of anti-Asian and anti-Asian American sentiment. In this context, my tweets were thoughtless and unfortunate. Put bluntly, they were stupid and insensitive,” he wrote. I appreciate his apology, and I am deeply sorry for the harm caused by his tweets.
I fully accept Dean Mnookin's reprimand and share her sorrow. I appreciate her recognition that I continue to take full ownership of the pain caused to our students. I hope this will be the last thing I say publicly about this matter, but rest assured that I continue to give careful and prayerful thought to learning from this experience.
