Rotarians from District 5030 join in solidarity with the thousands of Americans in extending our sympathies to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities following the tragic events in Atlanta on March 16. The hate and fearmongering aimed at our neighbors is yet another chapter in a long history of racism, prejudice and xenophobia against Asian Americans. Locally, we are deeply saddened by the attack on February 25 in the Chinatown International District of Noriko Nasu, a Japanese language teacher, when she was struck in the face by a man wielding a rock in a sock. She was seriously injured along with her boyfriend. While an arrest has been made, it is very troubling that this hatred occurred in our neighborhood. Sadly, many incidents go unreported.
Since March 2020, the organization “Stop AAPI Hate” has collected nearly 3,000 reports from 47 states regarding racist attacks and harassment of members of the AAPI community. This deluge of attacks threatens the safety of our AAPI community and has caused them to live in fear every day. THIS MUST STOP. We must keep raising awareness and consciousness to condemn violence against our AAPI community.
We condemn these attacks and the racist rhetoric that fuels them. We can all work on being strong allies to our AAPI community by utilizing these resources to take action:
* Report a hate crime:
https://stopaapihate.org/ and
https://www.standagainsthatred.org/* Volunteer to protect Chinatown International District elders and residents:
https://www.cidcommunitywatch.com/* Bystander Intervention Training:
http://bit.ly/bystdr_trainWe feel a strong responsibility to make sure our families and neighbors are safe. Our Club members are participating in Anti-Asian Hate protests and demonstrations in Seattle, Burien, Bellevue and other locations. They are volunteering for bystander intervention training. Join us! We stand together against all forms of injustice.
--- Published by the Rotary Club of Seattle - International District on April 15, 2021 ---
