AAPI Organizations Urge President Biden to Speak Out and Act More
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On August 19, 2021, over 20 Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations wrote to President Biden and asked him to do more and act more to address the surge of violence, racism, and hate against AAPIs.
In anticipation of the imminent release of a report on the origins of COVID-19 ordered by the President, the groups pointed out the perception by many that it was a validation of the so-called “lab leak” theory. In turn, it sparked a flurry of conspiracy theories that have been weaponized by politicians and pundits resulting in a false scapegoating of Asian Americans as somehow to blame for the pandemic. Of the over 9,000 hate incidents recently reported to Stop AAPI Hate, nearly half included statements regarding anti-Chinese or anti-immigrant rhetoric with the plurality involving scapegoating of China or Chinese people as the source of the novel coronavirus. Despite the good intentions of the Biden Administration’s forthcoming report, its release will require the President to redouble his efforts to combat anti-AAPI hate and violence — to speak out and to act on precise language and substantive policy change, starting with the following initial actions:
Read the letter at https://bit.ly/3j6ZwrE |
Links and References
2021/08/20 The Hill: Over 20 groups urge Biden to 'redouble' efforts to combat anti-Asian hate
Department of Justice: Preventing and Responding to Bias and Hate Incidents Against AANHPI Communities
2021/08/19 NCAPA and Stop AAPI Hate: Coalition Letter to President Biden
NBC News: Over 20 organizations demand Biden 'redouble' efforts to fight anti-Asian bias
2021/08/12 Stop AAPI Hate: National Report (through June 2021)
2021/08/20 The Hill: Over 20 groups urge Biden to 'redouble' efforts to combat anti-Asian hate
Department of Justice: Preventing and Responding to Bias and Hate Incidents Against AANHPI Communities
2021/08/19 NCAPA and Stop AAPI Hate: Coalition Letter to President Biden
NBC News: Over 20 organizations demand Biden 'redouble' efforts to fight anti-Asian bias
2021/08/12 Stop AAPI Hate: National Report (through June 2021)
Anti-Asian Hate Crimes on The Rise Again
On January 26, 2021, President Joe Biden issued Presidential Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
"Despite these increasing acts of intolerance, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made our Nation more secure during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout our history. An estimated 2 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have served on the front lines of this crisis as healthcare providers, as first responders, and in other essential roles. The Federal Government should combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and should work to ensure that all members of AAPI communities — no matter their background, the language they speak, or their religious beliefs — are treated with dignity and equity," the statement said.
Despite the Presidential Memoradum, and perhaps because of it, anti-Asian hate crimes are sadly on the rise again.
Links and references to anti-Asian hate and violence
Read more about related activities from The Yellow Whistle Project
"Despite these increasing acts of intolerance, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made our Nation more secure during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout our history. An estimated 2 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have served on the front lines of this crisis as healthcare providers, as first responders, and in other essential roles. The Federal Government should combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and should work to ensure that all members of AAPI communities — no matter their background, the language they speak, or their religious beliefs — are treated with dignity and equity," the statement said.
Despite the Presidential Memoradum, and perhaps because of it, anti-Asian hate crimes are sadly on the rise again.
Links and references to anti-Asian hate and violence
Read more about related activities from The Yellow Whistle Project
On July 27, 2020, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Judy Chu issued a press statement on Hate Crimes Tool Kit and Messaging Guidance on China Amid Spike in Anti-Asian Bigotry. It includes guidance to every Member of Congress on how to express opposition to or concerns with policies adopted by China’s government, without inspiring more xenophobia that is already putting Asian American lives at risk. The guidance advices Members to only use the official name of the coronavirus, refer specifically to the governing Chinese Communist Party instead of all Chinese people, and avoid Cold War-style rhetoric.
The messaging guidance to fellow Members of Congress says, “Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, there has been an alarming uptick in hate crimes and incidents targeting the Asian American community due to misconceptions that Asian Americans are more likely to carry the virus and should be blamed for its spread. According to data compiled by various Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate crime reporting websites, there have been over 2,300 anti-Asian American hate incidents reported in just the last few months alone. At its height, nearly 100 hate incidents were being reported each day. And, at the end of March, the FBI warned that, because ‘a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations,’ they expect that ‘hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States… endangering Asian American communities.’”
The messaging guidance to fellow Members of Congress says, “Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, there has been an alarming uptick in hate crimes and incidents targeting the Asian American community due to misconceptions that Asian Americans are more likely to carry the virus and should be blamed for its spread. According to data compiled by various Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate crime reporting websites, there have been over 2,300 anti-Asian American hate incidents reported in just the last few months alone. At its height, nearly 100 hate incidents were being reported each day. And, at the end of March, the FBI warned that, because ‘a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations,’ they expect that ‘hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States… endangering Asian American communities.’”
On July 20, 2020, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA), along with Reps. Rob Woodall (R-GA), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Pete Olson (R-TX), led a bipartisan letter of 150 Members of Congress calling on Attorney General (AG) William Barr to publicly condemn acts of anti-Asian bias stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Members also urged AG Barr to provide regular status updates regarding the steps the Department of Justice is taking and will take going forward to combat this behavior.
The letter was endorsed by these organizations:
American Federation of Teachers, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) AFL-CIO, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Chinese American Arts and Culture Association of New York, Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Committee of 100 (C100), Council of Korean Americans (CKA), Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership and Advancement (IAPALA), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), KAHAL, Korean American Associations of the U.S.A, Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA), Korean American Grassroots Conference (KAGC), Laotian American National Alliance (LANA), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans Community Development (National CAPACD), National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Urban League, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL), Taiwanese American Professionals - Atlanta (TAP-ATL), Taiwanese American Professionals - Austin (TAP-ATX), Taiwanese American Professionals - Boston (TAP-BOS), Taiwanese American Professionals - New York (TAP-NY), Taiwanese American Professionals - Orange County (TAP-OC), Taiwanese American Professionals - San Diego (TAP-SD), Taiwanese American Professionals - San Francisco (TAP-SF), Taiwanese American Professionals - Seattle (TAP-SEA, The 1882 Foundation, The 1990 Institute, The 80-20 Initiative, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, United Chinese Americans (UCA), United States Heartland China Association.
2020/07/20 Rep Lieu Leads 150 member Letter Urging DOJ to Condemn COVID-Related Anti-Asian Discrimination
The letter was endorsed by these organizations:
American Federation of Teachers, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) AFL-CIO, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Chinese American Arts and Culture Association of New York, Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Committee of 100 (C100), Council of Korean Americans (CKA), Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership and Advancement (IAPALA), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), KAHAL, Korean American Associations of the U.S.A, Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA), Korean American Grassroots Conference (KAGC), Laotian American National Alliance (LANA), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans Community Development (National CAPACD), National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Urban League, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL), Taiwanese American Professionals - Atlanta (TAP-ATL), Taiwanese American Professionals - Austin (TAP-ATX), Taiwanese American Professionals - Boston (TAP-BOS), Taiwanese American Professionals - New York (TAP-NY), Taiwanese American Professionals - Orange County (TAP-OC), Taiwanese American Professionals - San Diego (TAP-SD), Taiwanese American Professionals - San Francisco (TAP-SF), Taiwanese American Professionals - Seattle (TAP-SEA, The 1882 Foundation, The 1990 Institute, The 80-20 Initiative, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, United Chinese Americans (UCA), United States Heartland China Association.
2020/07/20 Rep Lieu Leads 150 member Letter Urging DOJ to Condemn COVID-Related Anti-Asian Discrimination
United Against Hate: A Day of Solidarity
On May 27, 2020, PEN America and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW), alongside members of the global literary community, will hold a virtual day of solidarity to call out hate in all its heinous forms. The coalition stands in support of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities that have been targeted by rising hate and racism in recent months during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual day of solidarity will feature a daylong schedule of free activities including workshops, poetry readings, and a teach-in to celebrate and engage a wide range of Asian and Asian American voices. Everyday citizens are urged to stand in solidarity with all those targeted by hate during COVID-19 and sign a Statement of Solidarity. "Together, we can use the power of our collective voices to call for a more just, equal, and inclusive society." On May 25, 2020, the Guardian reported ‘Turn back this wave of hate’: 100 writers call for an end to anti-Asian hostility. For more information, visit https://pen.org/event/united-against-hate-a-day-of-solidarity/. |
Need for National Unity
On May 8, 2020, CNN reported an opinion by Jeff Yang on "Breaking the cycle of discrimination against Asian Americans."
"Here's the problem: Asian American national advocacy organizations were already facing a period of crisis even before the pandemic broke. Initiatives that serve the community have insufficient funding. This has forced groups that have led coalition building across our communities in the past to cut staffing, hampering their ability to organize, and threatening their survival in the future..." "Ad hoc platforms and campaigns have sprung up to respond to these needs ... These are powerful and vital tools to fight back against the surge in reported racism. But they also reflect a fragmentation of purpose, with different groups launching their own campaigns instead of coalescing behind a single forceful initiative." Rise: Asian Pacific America is a series of online town halls throughout the month of May which is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. The town halls will discuss where we are today, where we've been as a community, and where we need to go, to rise up to the challenges we face in the near and remote future. |
Reporting Anti-Asian Hate Crimes and Incidents
Stop AAPI Hate
Click on the image to visit the Stop AAPI Hate website
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The Stop AAPI Hate website was launched on March 19, 2020 by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) and Chinese for Affirmation Action.
By April 23, 2020, over 1,500 incidents have been reported to the website. By the end of March 2021, the number increased to over 6,600. Periodic analytical reports are produced by Dr. Russell Jeung, and Kai Nham, San Francisco State University Asian American Studies. |
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New York City Human Rights Commission
On April 30, 2020, The New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) will hold a virtual town hall meeting on Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes Reporting. This follows an announcement by CCHR on April 19, 2020 that it was launching a special task force to deal with the rise of anti-Asian incidents.
According to CCHR, the virtual town hall will give attendees an understanding of the difference between bias incidents and hate crimes, which agencies to contact for each, what the reporting process looks like, and what happens when a person officially files a complaint or an arrest is made. It will also be an opportunity for community members to share issues and concerns that have come up as a result of COVID-19 related bias and hate. You will hear from senior officials from NYPD, CCHR, OPHC, CAU, and a number of District Attorney offices. Since the start of the year, nearly 250 bias incident complaints have been reported to CCHR, officials said. Of these, 105, or 42%, were directed at Asian Americans, compared with five during the same period a year ago. Links and Reports 2020/04/20 The City: For Asian Community, Official Bias Attack Tally Shows Fraction of The Problem 2020/04/19 Press Release: NYC Commission on Human Rights Announces Formation of COVID-19 Response Team to Address Increased Harassment and Discrimination Related to The Virus Report Hate Incidents
Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center. "We encourage all who have witnessed or experienced micro-aggressions, bullying, harassment, hate speech, or violence to help us document. The more information we have, the better we can respond and prevent further incidents from occurring." |
Racism is Contagious
Click image to access Racism is Contagious
Act to Change
Click image to access Act to Change website
COVID-19 Resources To Fight Bullying And Hate: "Amidst fears of the novel COVID-19 virus, incidents of bullying and racism against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community have been on the rise. Together, let’s fight the virus of xenophobia."
Stand Against Hatred
 Click on the image to visit the Stand Against Hatred website
The Stand Against Hatred website is made available by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a national affiliation of five member organizations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC to document hate and to educate about the environment of hate around the country.
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Coronavirus and Racism
"There are serious concerns of a global pandemic, but the coronavirus (now called COVID-19 by the World Health Organization) has also reawakened centuries-old prejudices against Chinese people," John Pompret wrote recently in an opinion for the Washington Post. He went on to cite several historical examples of how anti-Chinese racism in the U.S. always hinged on the belief that Asians harbor disease, dating back to the 19th century.
The title of a Wall Street Journal opinion on February 3 included a term "Sick Man of Asia" which is a century-old derogatory reference to persons of Chinese origin. It sparked strong reactions from the Chinese American community nationwide. "Something's not right here folks," Mario Cavolo, an American living in China, wrote in his LinkedIn blog as he looked at the disparate treatment and reaction to the 2009 H1N1 virus that started in the U.S. compared to the 2020 coronavirus in China. "This vicious, political, xenophobic racist attacks and smearing of all things China needs to stop," Cavolo concluded. Virus knows no borders. It is not an excuse for division, prejudice, fearmongering, or xenophobia here or elsewhere in the world. The risk of COVID-19 should obviously not be under-estimated. However, hate messages, baseless rumors, prejudice, conspiracy theories, uncontrolled emotions, panic and uninformed behavior cause far more damage than the coronavirus itself. "Whether in a couple of weeks or months later, this nasty flu type Corona virus will begin declining and the joy of Spring will arrive," Cavolo optimistically observed. See Additional Links and References below for the latest developments. |
United Chinese Americans (UCA) and three other local organizations originated an open letter to inform the Texas Asian American community on April 7, demanding the immediate withdrawal of a xenophobic TV advertisement by Ms. Kathaleen Wall, one of the Republican Primary candidates in Texas's 22nd congressional district. The letter to the Democratic and Republican National Committees calls on all elected and political candidates to demonstrate their commitment to keeping ALL communities safe and protected. The letter has been cosigned by 19 Texas and 8 national Asian American organizations. List of Texas organizations (more still joining):
List of National organizations (more still joining)
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2020/05/15 Harris, Duckworth, Hirono Introduce Resolution Condemning Anti-Asian Discrimination Caused by the COVID-19 Outbreak 2020/03/25 Congress.gov: H.Res.908 - Condemning all forms of anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID-19 2020/03/18 CAPAC Press Release: CAPAC Chair Chu Condemns Republican Bigotry on “Chinese Virus” 2020/03/17 Democratic Leaders of Color: Trump’s Use of “Chinese Virus” Endangers Lives 2020/03/13 Senator Mark Warner: Warner Expresses Concern with Violence, Harassment Against Asian Americans in Wake of Coronavirus Outbreak 2020/03/12 UCA: UCA Calls on All Americans to Avoid Divisive, Racial or Racist Terms for the New Coronavirus, COVID-19, and Defeat the Virus as One Nation APABA-PA: APABA-PA Statement Regarding Anti-Asian Racism Associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) APAPA: Official Comment on Representative Kevin McCarthy’s tweet on COVID-19 2020/03/11 NCAPA: Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders and Over 260 Civil Rights Organizations Call on Congress to Denounce Anti-Asian Racism around COVID-19 2020/03/10 CAPAC: Press release calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Congressman Paul Gosar to apologize Politico: Pelosi joins Asian American lawmakers in demanding McCarthy apology for 'bigoted' tweet Sacramento Bee: Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s coronavirus tweet echoes anti-Chinese racism. He must apologize San Francisco Chronicle: House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy stands by ‘Chinese coronavirus’ tweet USA Today: Coronavirus lessons from China as COVID-19 cases rise in America Washington Post: CDC director rejects label ‘Chinese virus’ after Trump, McCarthy tweets 2020/02/28 USA Today: Asian American lawmakers denounce 'rumors' and 'xenophobia' about coronavirus 2020/02/26 CAPAC: Dear Colleague Letter to Members of Congress to Condemn Xenophobic Rhetoric Surrounding Coronavirus Risks | ||||||
Statistics and Infographics for China were moved to Coronavirus - China on 2020/04/20, along with Nobel Laureate Professor Michael Levitt's analysis of COVID-19 data
Tracking Worldwide and U.S. Coronavirus Cases
Unofficial Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University
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This is an unofficial website built and maintained by first-generation Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Source: 1point3acres
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Daily situation reports produced by the World Health Organization
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U.S. COVID-19 Statistics
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) established a 2019-nCoV Incident Management Structure on January 7, 2020. On January 21, 2020, WHO began to issue daily Situation Reports, from which daily U.S. case counts and likely origins may be extracted. On the same day, US CDC reportedly activated its Emergency Response System to better provide ongoing support to the 2019-nCoV response.
According to US CDC, there were 59 confirmed cases in the U.S. as February 27, 2020, of which 42 were repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 14 from China including 3 Americans repatriated from Wuhan, and 2 infected by person-to-person transmission in the U.S. Likely exposure for 1 case was under investigation.
On March 7, the Atlantic reported that it could only verify that 1,895 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the United States. On March 13, a national emergency was declared. On April 1, CDC reported 186,101 total cases and 3,603 deaths, covering all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
There is no official centralized statistical reporting system in the U.S. Although emergency funding has been reportedly provided to build such a system, it is unclear when it will be built.
Johns Hopkins Univeristy and several other produces a worldwide tracking and visualization system that includes the U.S. They include a website created by first generation Chinese immigrants in the U.S. known as 1point3acres. The Chinese American Data Science and Engineering Association (CADSEA) is also in the process of building a COVID-19 Tracking and Modelling website.
Due to the differing nature and sources of of data collection and the timing of their reporting, there may be sizable differences between the official and unofficial sources.
In the first week of March 2020, The COVID Tracking Project was launched "to obtain, organize, and publish high-quality data required to understand and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. We will do this work until official national sources take over and publish comprehensive testing and outcomes data."
According to Worldometer, changes were made to the U.S. data on April 14, 2020, following the new CDC guidelines on "Case" and "Death" definitions.
Additional links and references to COVID-19
According to US CDC, there were 59 confirmed cases in the U.S. as February 27, 2020, of which 42 were repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 14 from China including 3 Americans repatriated from Wuhan, and 2 infected by person-to-person transmission in the U.S. Likely exposure for 1 case was under investigation.
On March 7, the Atlantic reported that it could only verify that 1,895 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the United States. On March 13, a national emergency was declared. On April 1, CDC reported 186,101 total cases and 3,603 deaths, covering all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
There is no official centralized statistical reporting system in the U.S. Although emergency funding has been reportedly provided to build such a system, it is unclear when it will be built.
Johns Hopkins Univeristy and several other produces a worldwide tracking and visualization system that includes the U.S. They include a website created by first generation Chinese immigrants in the U.S. known as 1point3acres. The Chinese American Data Science and Engineering Association (CADSEA) is also in the process of building a COVID-19 Tracking and Modelling website.
Due to the differing nature and sources of of data collection and the timing of their reporting, there may be sizable differences between the official and unofficial sources.
In the first week of March 2020, The COVID Tracking Project was launched "to obtain, organize, and publish high-quality data required to understand and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. We will do this work until official national sources take over and publish comprehensive testing and outcomes data."
According to Worldometer, changes were made to the U.S. data on April 14, 2020, following the new CDC guidelines on "Case" and "Death" definitions.
Additional links and references to COVID-19