March 22, 2021
Avenues for Youth stands in solidarity with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We condemn the racist acts of violence against women in Atlanta on March 16 in the strongest possible terms. Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng should still be with us today.
Xenophobia, misogyny, and violence inflicted on the AAPI community in the United States are not new. Anti-Asian violence is on the rise, however. These attacks are fueled by many, including our former President and others at the highest levels of government, falsely blaming the pandemic on China.
The Coalition of Asian American Leaders (https://caalmn.org/) had reported a 150% increase in anti-Asian violence. The group Stop AAPI Hate (https://caasf.org/stop-aapi-hate/) document 42 incidents of anti-Asian bias in Minnesota over the last year. We can and must do better.
In the face of racism and misogyny, statements of condemnation are not enough. The Minnesota Legislature is currently considering a hate crimes bill that would further define crimes of hate, close loopholes that misclassify hateful incidents, expand reporting, and provide support to victims. Thank you to the authors of this bill.
Resources for learning and getting involved include:
- Stop AAPI Hate https://caasf.org/stop-aapi-hate/
- Coalition of Asian American Leaders https://caalmn.org/
- Asian American Organizing Project http://aaopmn.org/?fbclid=IwAR09bg7gRqPLyKHyMbqKIgU1GKfyhGks7jofa2uE_a7gIbqUVO2txPCdGfA
- Sahan Journal https://sahanjournal.com/