Y-WE would like to express our care, respect and love for our Asian community members. This week’s terrorist violence in Atlanta, which left 8 women, 6 of whom were Asian American, dead is a horrific manifestation of the unconscionable racism, misogyny, harassment and injustice that our Asian communities experience. In this Pandemic year, where abhorrent and harmful rhetoric about Asians has run rampant, more than 3,795 hate crimes have been reported according to this report from STOP AAPI HATE and more than 68% of the victims of these crimes were women. “Systems do not maintain themselves; even our lack of intervention is an act of maintenance. Every structure in every society is upheld by the active and passive assistance of other human beings.” ― Sonya Renee Taylor, The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love
As an organization that centers women of color–and specifically provides services and support for a large population of Asian American youth, families and mentors–we are heartbroken & we will not stay silent on these issues.
Y-WE is a community of belonging where all our intersectional identities are seen, welcomed, and supported. We intentionally include folks of all backgrounds because we know that the eradication of white supremacy requires all of us to work against racism, violence and fear, and to work toward our collective liberation.
The perpetrator of this recent violent attack, and many other attacks within the last year, have not been held accountable. We encourage everyone in the Y-WE community to activate on these issues in the ways that are accessible to you:
- You can sign petitions to hold the media accountable for their covering these stories;
- You can donate to Go-Fund-Me pages for the victims of this violence;
- You can support local Asian American centered organizations such as API Chaya;
- You can diversify your social media feeds to include the voices and stories of Asian American thought leaders and organizations;
- You can get politically active and hold our government accountable for carrying out their proposed Anti-Hate Crime legislation;
- You can check on your Asian American friends and family members and offer support during this time;
- You can educate yourself–not only about this recent violence–but about the history of marginalization and oppression that our Asian American community has experienced for generations;
- You can also learn about, amplify and celebrate the incredible contributions that Asian American folks have made & continue to make to our society.
Thank you for standing in solidarity with us in support of our Asian communities.
For our Asian Y-WE friends in particular, we want you to know we are here for you. If you would like emotional support, resources, and care, please reach out to our Social Work Lead, Devin Majkut, at devin@y-we.org.
With love & respect,
The Y-WE Director’s Council
Reagan Jackson, Silvia Giannattasio-Lugo, Victoria Santos, & Rose Edwards