Violence against people of Asian descent is fueled by racism
Violence against people of Asian descent is fueled by racism
The following statement was issued today by MTA President Merrie Najimy and Vice President Max Page:
There are more names we must commit to remembering:
Hyun Jung (Kim) Grant
Daoyou Feng
Suncha Kim
Paul Andre Michels
Soon Chung Park
Xiaojie “Emily” Tan
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Yong Ae Yue
These are the names of the eight people, almost all of Asian descent, who were murdered in the Atlanta area this week. These killings are set in the context of the increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide, which is being fueled by white supremacy, racism and xenophobia.
These attacks have primarily targeted the most vulnerable members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community — the elderly, the undocumented, women, victims of sex trafficking, and low-wage workers in underground economies. The impact reverberates across the rest of the community, causing great pain and fear and leading to a collective trauma that seems to be getting worse as bigotry and hatred directed toward people of Asian descent are not confronted more directly, more vocally and more visibly.
Long before former President Donald Trump’s use of inflammatory phrases about the coronavirus that were designed to cast blame and aspersions on China — phrases that we should not dignify by repeating them — and his relentless scapegoating of Asians for the pandemic, this country had a long history of racist policies and practices that have targeted Asians and Asian Americans. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II to the blatantly racist portrayals of Asians and Asian culture in the media to hate crimes left unreported and uninvestigated, there seems to have been an acceptance of this bigotry, as if Asian Americans are second-class citizens not worthy of their humanity, dignity or equal protection under the law.
Hate incidents targeting Asian Americans rose by nearly 150 percent in 2020, with Asian American women twice as likely to be targeted. Stop AAPI Hate received 3,800 reports of anti-Asian violence during the pandemic, from March 2020 to February 2021.
In this moment of racial reckoning, we cannot overlook racism and xenophobia targeted at the Asian Pacific Islander communities. The MTA stands in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander community in mourning and condemning this week’s hateful attacks and the long string of racially motivated violence in the past year. We are committed to raising awareness and confronting such hatred through education, organizing and collective action. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!
As educators, we have the platform to teach our students about racism, white supremacy and xenophobia — and how to confront them in all their forms. As unionists, we know that our power lies in solidarity. As we see rising white nationalist terrorism and increasing political rhetoric targeting BIPOC communities, we must be more vigilant and active than ever before in condemning hatred and standing alongside those who are the targets of such injustice.
Today we do so by denouncing racism and bigotry toward the AAPI community and committing to the broader antiracist movement that exposes and stops this too often unchecked brand of hate.
Let us again speak the names of those killed and honor them by being steadfast in our work to create a more just and antiracist country:
Hyun Jung (Kim) Grant
Daoyou Feng
Suncha Kim
Paul Andre Michels
Soon Chung Park
Xiaojie “Emily” Tan
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Yong Ae Yue
Ways to Support Georgia’s AAPI Community:
- SIGN ON and stand in solidarity to develop a community-centered response and denounce the misogyny, white supremacy and systemic racism that motivate violence against Asian American communities and other communities of color — bit.ly/aaajcommunitystatement.
- DONATE at bit.ly/DonateToGeorgiaAAPICommunity. All donations will go directly to support the victims and their families and to support crisis intervention.
- SHARE RESOURCES at bit.ly/georgiaAAPIcommunitycare. Affected victims, families and communities are seeking resources to help respond to crises arising from racial violence, such as medical and mental health services, interpretation/translation, child care, food assistance and immigration services.
Learn about the rising tide of racism toward Asian Americans and take action at https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/