Joint Statement from the Board of Trustees and the Dobbs Ferry Human Rights and Diversity Committee: March 18, 2021
|
|
Stop Anti-Asian Racism.
As our nation reels from the murders of six Asian women in Georgia this week – victims of racist stereotypes - this terrifying news shines a spotlight on the already disturbing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes since the start of the pandemic. Like many, we cannot remain silent.
“Racially motivated violence should be called out for exactly what it is — and we must stop making excuses or rebranding it as economic anxiety or sexual addiction,” said Washington Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, who is of both Korean and African American heritage.
While hate crimes overall have declined this past year, the percentage of anti-Asian hate crimes has gone up nearly 150%. This anti-Asian racism has run the gamut from xenophobic rhetoric to being coughed at or spat on, from boycotts to vandalism, robbery, and harassment of businesses, from shunning and exclusion to physical assault, from death threats to actual death.
President Biden has condemned these “vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans, who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated.” These crimes have sadly impacted across Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities, from those who are Chinese to those merely perceived as Chinese.
The Dobbs Ferry Mayor, Board of Trustees, and Human Rights and Diversity Committee stand united in denouncing these vile racist acts happening in our region and across the country.
We urge everyone to join us in supporting our API community members who may be affected or suffering during these troubling times. We call on everyone to address these issues, not only reactively after harm has been reported in the community, but also proactively. As we face a teachable moment, here are some starting points:
- Naming the virus “COVID-19” aligns with the World Health Organization’s deliberate departure from the outdated practice of associating diseases with specific people or places of origin [link].
- Anti-Asian hate incidents go largely unreported, due to limited language resources and unfamiliarity with reporting protocols [link].
- Anti-Asian racism in the United States is not new. The murder of Vincent Chin, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and Japanese internment camps are a few examples from history that predate the pandemic [link].
- Standing up for one group does not preclude us from standing up for other groups. History abounds in examples of cross-racial and cross-ethnic alliances [link1, link2, link3].
From awareness to action: Join your neighbors led by the Ardsley High School Asian Students Union to Rally for Asian Victims of Violence on Saturday, March 20th (12:00-1:30PM) at Pascone Memorial Park in Ardsley. You can also take deeper dive into learning and actively opposing anti-Asian hate [link]. Step up. Stand with us.
The Dobbs Ferry Human Rights and Diversity Committee was formed by Mayor Rossillo and the Board of Trustees to not only address these types of incidents, but to work together with our village officials and community members to assist with recognizing, educating, advising, and referring matters related to inclusion, human rights, diversity, and equity within our village. Our group consists of Dobbs Ferry residents who are your neighbors and friends. We invite you to share your concerns or matters with us directly.
|
|
|
|
|
