Community Statement – March 19, 2021

AiLun Ku + OppNet Senior Management Team

March 19, 2021

 

Dear OppNet,

I shared my thoughts and feelings about the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes a few weeks ago on February 19, 2021. This week, the horrendous killings of the Asian women in Atlanta, Georgia put racial hate and violence into sharp focus, again. Today, I feel deep sorrow but also expansive love and care across the OppNet community.

Solidarity shows up in many ways. It might be a silly joke to break through the tears and grief. It might be an offer to listen when there isn’t anything to say. Or it might be stepping up to take turns to hold the line in the fight for justice and humanity. Every action we choose to take to show up for one another and to care for one another defeats the racial hate that plagues this nation.

We, as a community, will continue to wield our solidarity and our mutual care for one another to overcome racial violence and white supremacy. Our collective light is too bright to ignore.

To learn more about how to help, see below for the solidarity statement from OppNet’s Senior Management Team.

In service and community,
AiLun

 

 

We are appalled and devastated at the murder of eight people on Tuesday evening, six of whom were Asian Americans, targeted and attacked soley because of their racial identity by a white supremacist gunman in Atlanta, Georgia. Our deepest condolences go out to the families of all the victims: Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, and four others whose names have not yet been released. There is no doubt that this hate crime fueled by racism and xenophobia is a product of the same hateful rhetoric and historic devaluation of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) people and their communities in the United States since they first began immigrating to this country as early as the mid-1850s. 

It is essential to note that this particular act is but one incident in a spate of violence directly resulting from the intentional campaign of misinformation by the previous presidential administration which sought to tie the rise of COVID-19 and its devastation to the AAPI community, in order to deflect from the administration’s own irresponsible, egregious mishandling and inaction.

And, it must too be acknowledged that to stand at the intersection of both marginalized racial and gender identities is to be doubly at risk. Since the onset of COVID-19, AAPI women have been reporting higher rates of harassment and assault, and they are more likely to be killed as a result of this violence. In yesterday’s shooting, seven of the eight people killed were women.  

It is a deeply enraging and perverse injustice to take pride in your identity and culture, as so many of us do, and for that very identity to place us at the dangerous and precarious intersection of white supremacy and patriarchy. Our communities deserve to exist in full color and dimension, safely and fully protected.

While we will continue to find innumerable sources of joy, love, and celebration within our respective cultures as we always have, there are times where the full truth of our existence as BIPOC people in this nation and world can weigh especially heavy. Today is surely one of those days for the AAPI community, and with the heaviest of hearts, we stand and mourn with them in solidarity. 

 

To learn more, find ways to support, and spread awareness, explore and follow these organizations: 

National AAPI Anti-Hate Organizations 

New York City-Based AAPI Anti-Hate Organizations 

AAPI-Specific Support Service Providers

Other Support Service Providers 

LGBTQIA+ AAPI-Specific Anti-Hate Organizations in NYC

Other Social Media Pages to Follow for News and Updates

  • @aapiwomenlead
  • @hateisavirus
  • @asians4antiracism
  • @acttochange

 

To report an incident of Anti-Asian violence, visit nyc.gov/stopasianhate or fill out the Asian American Federation’s Anti-Asian Bias Reporting Form.  

Finally, if you feel safe doing so, consider attending the Rally Against Hate on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 1 p.m. in Columbus Park in Chinatown. 

 

Sincerely,

The OppNet Senior Management Team

85 Broad Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10004
P 646.237.4090
F 646.736.5569

Created by Constructive

Share via
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Mix
Email
Print
Copy Link
Powered by Social Snap
Copy link
CopyCopied
Powered by Social Snap