Statement in Support of Asian, Asian-Americans, Pacific-Islanders

Earlier this month, we reached the official year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. For months prior, the world tracked the development from China, throughout Asia and eventually around the world.
 
As the disease spread, so did inflammatory and discriminatory comments regarding its origin in China that has led to a dramatic increase in violence against People who identify as Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islander. Discussions at a congressional hearing Thursday continued that hateful rhetoric.
 
This week, three specific things occurred that are leading PNACAC to send this statement:

• NACAC Issues Statement of Support for Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Students
• Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting center launched in March 2020 created by the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University, released their 2020-2021 National Report (more on this below)
• A white man shot and killed eight people in Atlanta. Of those killed, seven were women and all but one appeared to be of Asian descent. The suspect has been arrested and admitted to the killings. There is now a discussion on if he will be charged with hate crimes related to race, national origin or biological sex and gender identity. Georgia’s hate crimes law covers all.

We’ll admit, we are late to address this issue. And so why address it at all? Because…