dear ross and the broader community,

We, the Asian American Business Association, believe in our purpose to celebrate culture, unite communities, and build more empathy into the world. Our purpose stems from a deep desire to make the world a better place for all. To this end, we stand united to fight against all forms of racism, bias, and discrimination. This conviction runs deep within our organization.

covid-19 & anti-asian sentiment

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an alarming 1900 percent increase in harassment and violent crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in the United States alone. Among nearly 3,000 reports, recent incidents include:

• 84-year old Vicha Ratanapakdee was shoved to the ground in San Francisco, died two days later
• 91-year old Chinese man shoved to the ground in Oakland Chinatown
• 64-year old Vietnamese grandmother assaulted and robbed in San Jose
• 61-year old Noel Quintana was slashed in the face on a subway in New York City
• 27-year old Air Force veteran Denny Kim was assaulted in Los Angeles’ Koreatown

While dangerous Anti-Asian xenophobic rhetoric surrounding the pandemic has contributed to this rise, we must also reckon with the fact that the United States bears a long history of state-sanctioned injustices and individual acts of racial discrimination against the AAPI community. Examples include the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the 1942 Japanese Internment Camps Executive Order. In 1982, Chinese-American Vincent Chin died four days after being beaten by two white men in Highland Park, Michigan.

history of marginalization in the u.s.

But our fight against these racist crimes is not ours to fight alone in the AAPI community, nor are the burden of others their own to bear. These latest incidents simply remind us of the inequity and inequality that continues to exist for countless communities in this country. We acknowledge the long history of racism in the United States and the role it’s played in pitting people of color and marginalized communities against one another. We must stand united with our peers in the Black, Latinx, Native, and other communities to fight racism. We, at AABA, continue to stand in solidarity with BBSA’s Call to Action.

asian-american activism

Over the long history, since Asian immigrants arrived in America, Asian-Americans have been forced to straddle dual cultures and identities. And we acknowledge that this has too often meant accepting a position of silence that is underpinned by the model minority myth. In some instances, we have even allowed ourselves to be bystanders in the face of struggle and resistance, either by accepting the fate of our community in the wake of injustice or worse, accepting the fate of other communities in the face of oppression.

But let’s not forget the tremendous progress the Asian-American community has made in being activists. Most recently, we’re grateful to community leaders and activists like Michelle Kim (CEO of Awaken), Amanda Nguyen (founder of Rise), Daniel Wu, Daniel Dae Kim, and Olivia Munn for speaking out. We are also deeply inspired by the joint coalitions built within and across the Asian and Black communities.

This activism, upheld by both Asian-Americans and allies, demonstrates a broader commitment to not only uplift our own community but also strengthen our bonds with other communities. We fully recognize that achieving prosperity for one group, whether that be Asian-Americans, Black Americans, Native Americans, or LatinX Americans, requires the unity, harmony, and collaboration of all groups.

call to action

We urge our community and allies to join us in our call to action, condemning all acts of discrimination and racism, and building a world free of inequality and inequity. We are hoping and working for a world where we can all walk alongside each other, with equal worth and dignity. We call for your solidarity in amplifying the AAPI voice and deepening our commitments to take action.

We urge you to help us take action through the following ways:

1. Share this statement across your personal and professional networks and help us get the word out.
   • Our website
   • Instagram
   • Image Folder - Download and share
2. Raise awareness, interrupt, and condemn acts of anti-Asian racism and violence.
   • Read and share Victims of anti-Asian attacks reflect a year into pandemic
   • Watch and share #NeedToKnow by Yoonj Kim from MTV News
   • Watch and share This millennial activist is calling out anti-Asian racism
   • Watch and share Call It Covid-19
3. Report anti-Asian hate incidents.
   • Stop AAPI Hate
   • Stand Against Hatred
   • University of Michigan
   • Michigan Department of Civil Rights
4. Learn and share the history of racial discrimination against the AAPI community.
   • Read and share What the ‘Model Minority’ Myth is and Why it creates inequality for all
   • Read and share The Muddled History of Anti-Asian Violence
   • Read and share America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizen
   • Watch and share PBS Asian Americans
5. Make a personal commitment for transformative action.
   • Love and support our Asian-American colleagues, students, and ourselves.
   • Sign and share petitions End Hate Crimes against Asian Americans
   • Read and share SHOW UP - Your Guide to Bystander Intervention
   • Enroll in the BYSTANDER INTERVENTION Training To Stop Anti-Asian Harassment
6. Support and donate to organizations that actively fight to stop anti-Asian racism.
   • Stop AAPI Hate
   • Hate is a Virus
   • Asian Americans Advancing Justice

In efforts to fight anti-Asian racism, various members of AABA will be making a joint contribution to Stop AAPI Hate.

If you wish to donate with us, you may send your donation to our PayPal account (AABA-2020@umich.edu).

As an organization and community, the AABA is here to offer support to those who identify with Asian-American experiences and those who wish to continue building greater knowledge and allyship.

At the end of this statement, you will find additional resources and a listing of upcoming events hosted by AABA to support this important call to action. We invite you to join us.

resources to fight anti-asian discrimination

• OCA Toolkit - Act to Change “The Racism is a Virus” Toolkit

• #HATEISAVIRUS - Hate Is A Virus is a nonprofit community of mobilizers and amplifiers that exists to dismantle racism and hate. Their movement started in April 2020 in response to the rise in hate crimes against AAPI due to the pandemic.

• Petition for Mainstream Media Coverage of AAPI Hate Crimes - This is a petition asking mainstream media (CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Washington Post, LA Times, NYT, etc.) to step up and give this AAPI hate crimes visibility and coverage.

• Act To Change - Act To Change is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to address bullying, including in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

• Asian American Advancing Justice (AAJC) - AAJC is a non-profit organization focusing on immigration, civil rights, labor rights, and other for Asian Americans.

• National Council of Asian Pacific Americans - The NCAPA is a coalition of 37 national Asian Pacific American organizations around the country serving to represent the interests of the greater Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities to provide a national voice for AA and NHPI issues.

• Racism Is A Virus - A campaign created to empower Asian Americans and allies to rise up against violence and xenophobia.

• OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates - A non-profit, membership-driven organization dedicated to advancing the social-political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)

• Stop AAPI Hate - Report an Anti-AAPI Motivated Crime