To our ACPA family:

Over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have faced significant discrimination and violence, fueled by racist narratives shared widely in the United States—a country with a long history of racist violence toward Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi Americans. Earlier this week, that hate came to a head in Atlanta, where a white man murdered six Asian women and two other individuals. Their names are Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Julie Park, Hyun-jeong Park Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong Yue.

We have also seen how institutions work to downplay the causes and impacts of these events. We know better. We know that these events are yet another manifestation of white supremacist and misogynist violence in the United States. It is the responsibility of each of us not only to speak out in the too-brief moments when white supremacy garners national attention, but also to stay vigilant and speak out whenever we see it.

The Commission for Social Justice Education’s (CSJE) mission is based in anti-oppression and liberation, which means that we must not only work to continuously learn and grow on an individual level, but that we must also commit to advocating for our institutions and associations to grow as well. ACPA’s Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization provides a place to start, but we must each work intentionally to bring it to life. This Imperative is grounded in hope, and it is with that hope that we recommit ourselves to the work of building a world better than the one we currently occupy.

As a commission, we believe that education is one of the most powerful tools we have for building that better future, even as we acknowledge that education is also a tool used to create the racist, oppressive, anti-Asian, anti-sex work, and misogynist views that resulted in Tuesday’s murders. Organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate have continued to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US. Should you want to learn more about ways to support Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, Harper’s Bazaar has compiled a number of organizations in need of support. We also recommend that everyone read “‘We Are Always Waiting Our Turn to be Important.’ A Love Letter to Asian Americans” in Time Magazine.

In addition, we encourage folks to donate to or learn about the Georgia-based organizations centering the Asian American community. We encourage you to visit the websites of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), the Asian American Advocacy Fund (AAF), and the Center For Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS). They provide critical support through legal services, policy advocacy, and life-saving resources for new immigrants and refugees. For a more comprehensive list of resources, places, and organizations to support by state, check out this Google Doc. 

We urge our members to intentionally engage in their roles as educators and to dismantle these ideas not just when white supremacy is in the headlines, but always.

In Love and Solidarity,

Janine Silvis, Chair
Brian Reece, Past Chair
Brooke Huynh, Vice Chair
Sean Hembrick, Vice Chair
Mercedes Diaz, Vice Chair
Kirstin Kelley, member and contributor
Drew Terhune, member and contributor