Chinese for Affirmative Action will never stop fighting for the cause of civil rights and social justice.
That message was made loud and clear last month at the Rally for Inclusion we organized with our allies. We were heartened and inspired by the nearly 800 people who turned out to say no to the bigotry of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the very same bigotry that fuels today’s xenophobic and anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies.
We recently reaffirmed this same message at our 48th anniversary Celebration of Justice where our event honorees — the Arab Resource & Organizing Center, Cecillia Wang, Larry Mock, Chris Ahn, and Ron Wallace — reminded us that resilience, courage, and principled leadership can pave the way to progress in even the most difficult of times.
And this message needs to be repeated, by each and every one of us, in word and in practice, as we individually and collectively attempt to respond to the plethora of attacks against our shared safety, dignity, and humanity.
We must educate one another on the perils of police violence and racial profiling, whether for Philando Castile or Anthony Promvongsa. We need to connect the dots between scapegoating and hate crimes, whether for Nabra Hassanen or Vincent Chin. And we have to identify and address the systems and structures that perpetuate inequity and injustice on a mass scale.
One clear example is President Trump’s anti-Muslim travel ban, on which the U.S. Supreme Court this Monday gave a partial and limited ruling. Though the decision is legally complicated, our resolve should not be. As a community we must refuse to support any policy based on racial, ethnic, and religious scapegoating because an attack on any immigrant community is ultimately an attack on all immigrant communities.
As we continue to grow our work in these difficult times, I welcome your thoughts on how you want to be more involved in our collective efforts.
