This past week, in Atlanta eight people were tragically murdered in separate incidents. Six of these individuals were Asian American women. These murders follow months of violent attacks on Asian Americans in our nation. According to Stop AAPI Hate, more than 3,800 incidents of anti-Asian hate have been documented since March 2020 with increased lethality. These incidents were specifically against women and elderly Asian Americans

RCF Connects condemns these acts of violence against Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and all hate-based forms of violence. AANHPI individuals are being harassed and physically attacked and this must stop. As President Biden stated earlier this week, it’s “vicious “and “Un-American.”

In acknowledging what is now “Un-American” we must acknowledge the history of what once was very much American. AANHPI families have experienced much trauma throughout American history. AANHPI families have experienced exclusion, internment camps, refugee camps, colonialism, imperialism, geopolitical conflict, etc. Therefore, we must acknowledge the history of anti-AANHPI racism, violence, and misogyny which continues to systematically erase and invisibilize segments of the AANHPI community. This erasure and invisibility is a specific form of racism that AANHPI people experience, contributing to a view of them as “easy targets” in the public’s eye. Anti-AANHPI racism is ultimately dehumanizing and preys on those who are perceived as vulnerable -- as shown by how the targets have been women and elderly.

Further, we cannot talk about anti-AANHPI violence without discussing the “Model Minority Myth” which treats all AANHPI as a monolith exaggerating the communities’ material wealth while ignoring the vulnerable- the new immigrants/non-citizen/undocumented, low-income, low-English proficiency, etc. These vulnerable communities have been shown to be subjected to attacks because of lack of resources, representation, assistance, and advocacy. These are the same factors that help facilitate the attack in Atlanta, and these will be the same factors that will continue to help facilitate attacks on the AANHPI community if there is no rapid intervention. In short, our silence is a form of anti-AANHPI violence.

Racist, gender-based violence, white supremacy, and xenophobia continue to impact members of our community, and we must do everything in our power to stamp these out including by educating others and supporting organizations that address racism.

We at RCF Connects are working with our Staff/Board Equity Design Team to dismantle internal and external systems and policies that perpetuate racial violence and injustice by applying an equity lens to every aspect of our work, from board and staff development, to vendor selection, to program design, implementation, and grants. Building a sense of community that is equitable and where everyone feels they belong is a moral imperative for all of us.

But we recognize, that is not enough.

There needs to be a concerted effort from all of us to quickly dismantle the current systems that uphold the recent heinous actions that we are witnessing. We must admit, historically that in times of crisis, anti-Asian violence rears its ugly head and we must consciously eradicate that awful practice. How do we do that?

🔘 We need to recognize that there is an intersectional dynamic at play, where certain Americans see AANHPI Women and older AANHPI as easy targets. We must be mindful that these populations need more protection from our community.

🔘 We need to focus on “hate incidents” rather than “hate crimes” with the understanding that verbal harassment and shunning is actual violence and a gateway to physical, lethal violence if not checked properly and immediately.

🔘 We must become comfortable with being uncomfortable and speak up bluntly and directly, in every situation that we notice is unfair, racist, and hateful treatment.

🔘 We need to build awareness by having dialogue, educating, learning, and unlearning all we know in our community since silence and indifference intensify the issue.

🔘 Using social media to post hate incidents is an effective deterrent.

This is only the beginning. Unfortunately, there is so much more to do. RCF Connects is dedicated and committed to the vision that we will be successful in creating a community where all our neighbors, regardless of race, nationality and creed can live, flourish and thrive. We welcome your ideas and support of our vision.