A letter of solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community

We stand in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and condemn the racially motivated, white supremacist violence of the Atlanta shootings on March 17.*

It doesn’t matter how many times we say this. We have to keep saying it:

America is broken. You know it. I know it. If you are BIPOC, as I, a Black woman, am, then you know that you live with a target on your back. This country comes for us and kills us. It leaves our families to grieve. It apologizes for white terrorists and blames its racism on fringe actors. It maintains its innocence at our expense. We need to reimagine the promise of America, a country that has failed us. We need each other now more than ever.

So we stand for each other. Protect one other. Grieve, and remember all who’ve been lost in acts of white supremacist violence, including the eight people who mattered and were murdered on March 17 in Atlanta, especially the six women of Asian descent. To all of our Clarion West friends and family among the AAPI community: we see you. We stand with you. We will fight with you and for you.

The history of anti-Asian violence in this country is long and ugly and overlooked, and it will take sustained effort to dismantle the systematic discrimination this history has created and sanctioned. Here are some resources that we recommend:

Mental Health

Recommended local resources and organizations to donate time and resources

Clarion West is committed to being a force for change, because change must be bigger than one statement, one newsletter. We’re here for the long haul. To our alumni: if you are doing work that directly addresses these problems, we want to know so that we can support you and use our platform to project your voice. Tag us on Twitter, contact us on Facebook or Instagram, or email us at communications@clarionwest.org — we want to hear from you.

Yours,
Stephanie Morris (she/her/hers)
Program and Communications Assistant
Clarion West (class of 2017)

* Article originally posted by Marnee Chua on March 26, 2021 and signed by the author, Stephanie Morris.

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