Solidarity with the AAPI Community: The time to act is now

A message from Way to Win,

Last night Way to Win was struck to hear of yet another targeted attack on the Asian American Community. Since last April, over 3,000 incidents of racism and violence against Asian Americans have been documented by Asian Americans Advancing Justice — and the number continues to grow. While the news is developing, we currently understand that a mass shooter attacked three spas in Atlanta, leaving at least 8 dead, 6 of whom are Asian women. The incident in Georgia is one of unspeakable evil. It shouldn’t take this scale of violence for collective action. Other incidents have included robberies targeting Asian-owned businesses, as well as the violent and sometimes fatal attacks on individuals going about their daily lives, including targeting elders. The limited acknowledgment of this violence by our leaders and media is both a moral failure and a submission to the violence continuing. We see the example again last night — the news of the shooting is not given the same time and attention of other mass shooting events. It is unacceptable that on top of the economic and health fears put forth by a global pandemic, the AAPI community must also bear the emotional burden of fearing for their safety and that of their families.

While the current violence against Asian Americans is symptomatic of the racist rhetoric spewed by the previous administration at what remains of the GOP, it also comes on top of a long and devastating precedent of violence, scapegoating, and discrimination that dates back to the birth of this country.

When we commit ourselves to the work of building a multiracial democracy, we commit ourselves to a vision of shared liberation — a shared release from the death and destruction caused by racism, prejudice, and xenophobia.

In this moment, we stand in solidarity with the AAPI community against the heightened violence occurring across states, and we double down on the urgent need to both make it more visible to all and unify across communities to root out the pain caused by white supremacy.

We pledge ourselves again to breaking down silos within our own movement so that no community is left to confront America’s racism on its own. The time to act is now.