Condemning Anti Asian Hate + White Supremacy

This week we witnessed an attack that took the lives of eight people, including six Asian women. This tragedy is a direct result of the white supremacy culture and practice that continues to plague our society. Those who were killed worked in low-wage industries with scant worker oversight and protections, conditions we know must be improved to advance a more open and equitable society.

Over the past year, we’ve seen the rise of hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and the escalating alarms that AAPI communities have raised about long standing attacks that have culminated in further violence. We’ve seen those in power perpetuate this violence through racist language and actions, including the harmful mischaracterizations of COVID-19 which furthered anti-AAPI policies and narratives.

Hate is deeply rooted in the fabric of our country — from the false and malicious narratives that serve only to strengthen white supremacy to the multitude of laws that have excluded, imprisoned, and authorized violence against AAPI communities. These poisonous roots were embedded into our society well over a century ago, including through depraving Asian women by limiting their freedoms via the Page Act of 1875 which defined Asian women as sexually aberrant. Past and present sexual violence, sexism, and racism against Asian American and Pacific Islander women are interconnected.

To combat this violence, and for us to achieve a society where all people can thrive, we must continue to confront our nation’s racist history and systems of oppression. We must hold accountable those who wield power, from elected officials, to the police, to the media, to leaders and individuals within our own organizations and sector. And we must support building power within AAPI and communities of color.

We recognize the role and responsibility of philanthropy in dismantling systems of oppression. Support to AAPI communities is well below 1% percent of philanthropic funding. By centering and investing in organizations led by people of color, and supporting systems change work, we can fight white supremacy and work toward a society that is just and equitable. We encourage you to support practitioner partners calling for support around state and federal advocacy, crisis intervention, community safety, and transformative justice.

Patricia Eng, President and CEO of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), and Erik Stegman, Executive Director of Native Americans in Philanthropy have put out an important piece calling for philanthropy to act now that we encourage you to read. For further information and ways you can be supportive, please visit AAPIP’s Supporting API Communities Resource Directory. If you or your colleagues are taking action in response to this crisis, please share details with the FCCP team so we can help amplify your efforts.

Statements From Our Network

Read the statements from our network partners:

Resources

Anti-Racism + Intersectional Justice Fund
The Anti-Racism and Intersectional Justice Fund (ARIJ) was established by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund in the spring of 2020 to address the spike in anti-Asian violence and hate that began because of inflammatory targeting of China during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the alarming growth in anti-AAPI violence and the murder of six AAPI women in March, the ARIJ Fund is raising additional funds to support local organizations that work with diverse subgroups within the AAPI community to provide counseling and support to victims of anti-Asian hate incidents; educate and advocate for administrative or legislative changes that support long-term solutions to the rise in race-based crimes, including restorative justice approaches; disseminate AAPI voices, stories, and experiences that counter anti-Asian narratives; and forge cross-racial alliances. Learn more about these efforts here.

ARIJ Fund Digital Resource Hub 
Movement Hub compiles the organizing efforts and digital resources of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the United States with the goal of advancing racial equity and intersectional justice.

East Bay Community Foundation

East Bay Community Foundation put out a call for donors and other partners to support the following:
  • The New Breath Foundation, a close partner of EBCF working to decrease violence against the Asian American community by promoting cross-racial solidarity and advancing effective alternatives to criminalization.
  • The One Nation Fund, which seeks to double down in its work to combat persistent negative narratives of the AAPI community that have allowed for dangerous policies and attacks in our community to flare up once more in deadly ways.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta