FAIR'S MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE AAPI COMMUNITY TO CONDEMN HATE INCIDENTS AND DISCRIMINATION
FAIR joins our sister organization, the California Employment Lawyers Association, and countless other organizations in denouncing the recent increase in violence towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The senseless shooting in Atlanta this past month claiming the lives of eight individuals (six of whom were Asian women) at three Asian-owned spas was not an isolated event. Hate incidents and hate crimes against the AAPI community have been on the rise since the pandemic began last year. Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization tracking reports of anti-Asian attacks, recently released its 2020-2021 National Report of nearly 3,800 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian harassment over the past year. These include distressing accounts of some of the most vulnerable members of the Asian community, the elderly, being hit, spat on, and being told to “go back to China.” According to recent data, these incidents and anti-Asian hate speech on social media platforms like Twitter spiked when then-President Trump used racist terms like “Chinese virus” and “kung flu” to refer to the coronavirus.
We write this message to express our support for the AAPI community because words matter. We stand in solidarity with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our community as we did last year with the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement. We condemn and vow to fight against racism and discrimination in any form. Our hearts go out to those who have suffered, and we encourage everyone to speak up to counteract these hateful messages to help those who feel fear, anxiety or isolation know that they have allies in the community. You can also take action by reporting Anti-Asian hate incidents to Stop AAPI Hate and educating yourself on additional ways to support the AAPI community by visiting the Anti-Asian Violence Resources.
