Stop AAPI Hate

A Statement from the SBWPC Board of Directors

In response to the alarming escalation in discrimination, xenophobia, and bigotry targetting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States, the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee firmly denounces all forms of bigotry and hate against the AAPI community.

We have all learned of ongoing reports of incidents of hate, violence, discrimination, and bullying that demand a response and plan of action.

We recognize that addressing anti-Asian racism also means we must continue to work towards ending all forms of structural racism, including those targeting Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

In our own local communities, we know that structural racism, xenophobia, and nativism are present and are pillars of white supremacy.

In a National Report published yesterday, the organization Stop AAPI Hate notes the escalation of violence against the AAPI community. The report notes that “women report hate incidents 2.3 times more than men”.

The targeted mass shooting that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia, in which women of Asian descent were murdered, is a horrifying example of the escalation of violence towards the AAPI community. We demand justice for the victims and an end to violence against women, gun violence, and violent racism.

We call on our elected officials and community leaders to publicly denounce discrimination, xenophobia, child bullying, and bigotry targetting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in our community and across the Country.

We call on our elected officials and community leaders to publicly denounce racism in all its forms, including racism against Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

As a community, we can also take action to support the AAPI community by:

• Encouraging those who experience or witness acts of hate towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to report an incident at the Stop AAPI Hate website.
• Learning ways to intervene effectively as a bystander to stop Anti-AAPI xenophobia and harassment. A free training is available through Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
• Being informed about what is happening and why
• Being civically engaged in your local community
• Supporting organizations advocating for justice and an end to racism, like Stop AAPI Hate.
• Supporting Ethnic Studies in our local school districts and educational institutions. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have experienced centuries of violence in the U.S. We need to address the perpetual foreigner stereotype that frames Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as outsiders to this nation. Due to this Orientalist framing, Asians can be excluded, detained, deported, and attacked because they supposedly “don’t belong here”. Ethnic Studies helps teach students the sources of this racism and promotes racial empathy and solidarity.
• Supporting local Asian-owned businesses. These businesses began seeing a decline in business even before the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the U.S. and stay-at-home orders were enacted.

*These suggested actions are from Stop AAPI Hate. Learn more at https://stopaapihate.org/

As an intersectional, feminist organization, we stand in solidarity with the AAPI community and in the pursuit of liberation for all peoples and justice for victims of racial violence and hatred.

-- The Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee

For further information, read Stop AAPI Hate’s National Report