Children’s Home & Aid stands with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and our hearts go out to all those impacted by recent tragic events. This week’s violence in which eight individuals were killed, six of whom were women of Asian descent, is a display of white supremacy and a blatant act of racism and misogyny. Any attempt to excuse or cover it up as anything else only perpetuates harm.
In paraphrasing journalist Sophia Li, “what happened in Atlanta is the same mindset, white supremacist beliefs that killed nine Black folks at a church in Charleston and 23 Latinos in an El Paso Walmart.”
We know women are particularly vulnerable to exposure and experience of violence (WHO), and we know that risk is increased with the intersection of multiple oppressed identities. While there has been a recent sharp increase in violence toward Asian communities, violence perpetrated on these communities is not new. Violence permeates the histories of Asian Americans; in order to be anti-racist we must acknowledge the Asian experience, past and present.
Last week’s tragedy is a clear example as to why it is so important to be engaged in our own anti-racist journey. As an agency, we are committed to leading with equity and tackling, head-on, the racial and social injustice faced by communities of color. We all have an individual and collective responsibility to calling out racism, inequities, and discrimination of any kind, and holding ourselves and each other accountable.