In the midst of celebrating AAPI heritage month, there are stark reminders throughout the country of how much work remains to make real the promise of an America that works for all people of color.
Whether in Dallas, Buffalo, or Laguna Woods, race continues to matter in different ways that are devastating and painful, and we offer our condolences to those who lost their lives and those whose lives were forever altered due to violence and hatred. Regardless of our backgrounds, all of us have the right to feel and be safe, and to exist unencumbered by racism and bigotry.
When CAA launched our local Coalition for Community Safety and Justice, and our national Stop AAPI Hate coalition, we understood that violence always exists in a context. That context includes the racialized anti-Asian rhetoric of the pandemic, the country’s long legacy of white supremacy, a culture that makes access to guns too easy, and the many disproportionate challenges facing working class and immigrant communities.
As we and allies work furiously to respond to the disturbing pattern of attacks against our community, we must always remember to not lose sight of the forest for the trees. Together we are committed to address the motivations and conditions of hate, as well as how hate can be manifested in so many deadly forms.
We stand with the Korean American community in Dallas, with the African American community in Buffalo, and with the Taiwanese American community in Laguna Woods. And by seeing one another’s trauma — and the similar and dissimilar structures and lies that cause harm — we can heal and forge a collective, comprehensive, and sustainable response.
More than ever, we must see the interconnectedness of hatred and violence, of right-wing extremism and access to guns, and how white supremacy undergirds the demeaning of our collective humanity.
We grieve with the victims, survivors, and their loved ones during this difficult time.
