Blog

The violence must stop. We are witnessing, with growing horror, the hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) that have risen exponentially to date.  It seems like every day, we hear news of another Asian American being targeted, harassed, attacked and murdered.

These are not isolated incidents. And they didn’t just arise because of the rhetoric coming from the past administration – although the spike during these past months are likely correlated to inflammatory and provocatory acts and statements. These incidents have historical antecedents. The roots of this hate lie in the racism that undergirds this country’s founding and history. Remember the Chinese Massacre of 1871, the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, the 1920s perception of Filipinos taking the jobs of white Americans while also accusing them of attracting white women leading to the passing of an anti-miscegenation law, the Internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s, the racist killing of Vincent Chin in 1982, and the internment, surveillance, and bigotry that arose after 9/11 and continue today against Muslims and South Asians, particularly Sikhs.

If you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. If we do not work collectively, racism will kill us all individually. We stand together with all communities of color in the struggle for racial justice. That means holding on to nuance and understanding even when we are most hurt.  It also means saying:  This is wrong. This is hurting residents and communities. Don’t be a passive bystander. Speak up.  

CRE will speak up. We will stand in solidarity with those who are promoting and protecting the AAPI community as well as other BIPOC communities and anyone who is challenging white supremacy and racism. We will live into our anti-racist commitment and race equity goals. We are not on the front lines, but we pledge to be with you in the struggle.

In gratitude, we uplift the work of our allies and partners – organizational and individual – who stand on the front lines of this work.

• If you have experienced racial bias, you can report it using the anti-Asian bias reporting form from our partner the Asian American Federation.  This form can be anonymous.
• If you want more information, Melinda Chu, a member of the Asian Women Giving Circle and the Asian Affinity Roundtable, has compiled a document that has an abundance of resources, articles and statements on racial violence against the AAPI community and connection to larger racial justice goals and the need for multi-racial solidarity.

In solidarity,

CRE