We are deeply saddened and outraged about the violence that ensued in Georgia this week which resulted in the tragic deaths of 8 people, 6 of whom are Asian women. The increased assaults on our Asian American communities have escalated during the pandemic because of white supremacist rhetoric “Kung Flu” and “Chinese Virus” which are deeply imbedded in America’s history of stigmatizing and othering BIPOC communities. Such acts are deemed acceptable when it is repeatedly denied as racially motivated, silenced by the media and not condemned by leaders and institutions.
We urge you to take action by speaking out against these acts of violence, to center the voices of those who are most impacted, and support policies that institutionalize funding and equity for Black, indigenous and people of color communities. Now is the time for individuals and institutions to condemn race-based assaults on elders, women, femme folx, working class and poor people.
It is clear that Asian violence, race and gender- based hate is on the rise. On the same day the assault took place at Asian-owned businesses in Georgia, 33 Vietnamese community members were separated from their families and deported. These events are not happening in isolation, but are a part of a pattern of white supremacy to uphold dehumanizing systems of oppression. While these attacks are happening, our communities continue to struggle with school, housing, employment, family separations and are grieving the loss of loved ones.
We must take action and speak out so we can disrupt the violent and traumatizing cycles that uphold white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism and class.
For over two decades our organization has developed the leadership of Southeast Asian women and youth of color and we are no stranger to violence and trauma. Our very first campaign in the late 90’s addressed the overwhelming instances of sexual harassment that teenaged Southeast Asian women faced from their peers and schools. It has been our mission to center the leadership of young women, so that they can be empowered leaders in the work to dismantle racism, patriarchy, ageism, and classism. Furthermore, our families have had to survive through many forms of violence from the genocide in our homeland, to the war waged on poor people who live in systemically under-resourced but over-policed neighborhoods.
Our communities deserve to live with dignity. We deserve to live in an environment free from any form of violence to our bodies, minds and spirits- most especially during a global health crisis, when each of our health is connected to and impacts our collective recovery.
Centering community care in this moment means uplifting those most impacted, speaking out against these injustices and to be part of the solution that roots out systemic oppression and breaks cycles of violence, intergenerational trauma and poverty.
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