Action Items (3/21/21)

This week we watched in horror as the reports came in about the murder of eight people in Atlanta, six of them Asian women. This killing spree comes on the heels of the report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino that Anti-Asian hate crimes in the US are up 150% during the pandemic. Many believe those numbers are just a fraction of the hate incidents experienced by Asian Americans. Animosity toward the Asian community is anything but new, but there should be no doubt that the ex-president’s calling of the coronavirus “the China virus” and repeatedly blaming China for bringing COVID to the U.S., has brought Anti-Asian rhetoric into the mainstream. We continue to suffer the poison of his tailwinds.
There is an unacceptable environment of potent fear in Asian American communities. We cannot dismiss this injustice and must continue to engage in the national discussion about racism and sexism faced by Asian Americans. We must remind ourselves that everyone should be able to feel like they belong. Diversity is our strength. Let us stand together and condemn this racism.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word”.

Our mission is clear, but we have lots of hard work to do.