Statement in support of the AAPI community
The horrific killings in Atlanta and attacks on members of the Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has once again reminded us of the reality of the rise of anti-Asian hate, discrimination and violence across this country. Even before the pandemic, the AAPI community has endured verbal and physical harassment and assaults for decades. Since the emergence of COVID-19, this has gotten even worse. There have been nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents across the country since March 2020 alone, according to a report from the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center. And it’s likely that many more incidents go unreported.
We must be conscious of the actions and language we use and how these have resulted in the increased racism, assault and the murders we now see. We should also continue to fight against the systemic racism and inequality in our society that deprives people of the means to live with dignity and compassion.
We want every CCL volunteer and staffer who is a member of the AAPI community to know that CCL supports you, and that we reject the xenophobia and racism that you and other communities of color experience. These racist and violent attacks need to end, and perpetrators need to be held accountable for these hate crimes. No one’s “bad day” is a reason to end the life of any individual.
Our sentiment and prayers are with the families of the victims who lost their lives: Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Xiaojie Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Yong Yue, 63, Soon C. Park, 74, Hyun Jung Grant, 51, Suncha Kim, 69, Yong A. Yue, 63, and Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, who was injured. Read more about the victims here.
We recognize and appreciate that many of our volunteers are working to end racism and want to be good allies. To support that, we have assembled the resources below:
At CCL
- Join the March 20 Race & Culture Conversations – Taking place every month
- Join the Asian Pacific Action Team
- Join the People of the Global Majority Action Team (for BIPOC only)
Learn
- “To be an Asian woman in America” – Opinion piece by Jennifer Ho, published by CNN
- “The Atlanta Shootings Fit Into a Long Legacy of Anti-Asian Violence in America” – Article by Cady Lang, published by TIME Magazine
- CAPAC Members Mourn Victims of Atlanta Spa Shootings and Condemn Anti-Asian Violence – Statement from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives
- Hollaback Bystander Intervention Training – Training to stop anti-Asian/American xenophobic harassment
Advocate
- Stop AAPI Hate @stopaapihate – Tracking and responding to hate crimes committed against the AAPI community
- Anti-Asian Violence Resources – Created by the Healthcare Alliance for Asian & Pacific Islanders (HAAPI ERG)
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The organization has an Atlanta chapter and a specific fundraiser to support Georgia’s Asian American Community
- National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) – A Federation of LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander Organizations
