May is “Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.” In light of the horrible escalation of hate crimes against the AAPI community, as well as the increased public awareness of racist behavior across the US, Family Voices strongly supports the activation of more public resources and policies to respond effectively and openly to hate crimes.
We call your attention to a statement and related report, issued May 3, 2021 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, entitled “Immunizing Against Hate: Overcoming Asian American and Pacific Islander Racism.” Full text of the article may be found here.
We express our strong support for our network members of the AAPI community, the AAPI families that we serve and all AAPI individuals, everywhere. With the rise of anti- Asian violence, harassment, coronavirus discrimination, and targeted hate crimes against the AAPI community, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring respect, inclusion, and equity in our healthcare systems, our communities, our nation, and the world. We condemn racism in all its iterations, hate crimes of all forms, and anti-Asian violence explicitly.
We share resources and urge others to join in efforts to report hate crimes. Please see this set of resources, “Combat Hate Crime Resources,” published by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), which includes community-based toolkits for individuals and communities to respond to hate crimes. The toolkits are translated into multiple languages. Please share these resources within your communities.
Encourage confidence to act