Statement of Solidarity with the Asian American Community

April 2021

The recent attacks on the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) community in the United States has left us horrified, incensed, and deeply grieved. The Latino Leadership Circle stands in solidarity with the AAPI community and condemns the unrelenting violence, including the brutal attack of a 65-year-old woman in New York City and the brazen shootings, which claimed the lives of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta, Georgia. 

We recognize that these incidents are part of the greater surge of anti-Asian violence, which correlates with the xenophobic sentiments related to the Covid-19 pandemic perpetuated by American leaders for political gain. Sadly, we also acknowledge that this spike is part of a long history of dehumanization of the AAPI community in the United States[1]. The white supremacist narrative has historically led many to perceive AAPI people as perpetual foreigners and scapegoats, similar to the experience within our Latin@ communities[2]. 

We are compelled to stand against this spirit of hate and violence currently permeating our society and stand with the AAPI community in our country. We pledge to confront this scourge, not only on our knees, but with our collective voices as we: 

  1. Stand with the AAPI community to ensure these crimes are taken seriously, as racially motivated by local officials and law enforcement and that perpetrators are brought to justice.
  2. Educate our respective communities about AAPI prejudice and the Latin@ and AAPI shared identity as people of color.
  3. Promote a spirit of mutual humanity and what it means to be a good neighbor to those around us[3].
  4. Support ally organizations that champion the rights and protections of AAPI people in the United States.
  1. Hong, J. H. (2019). Opening the Gates to Asia: A transpacific history of how America repealed Asian exclusion. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
  2. Raymond Chang. National Association of Evangelicals site. https://www.nae.net/changpodcast/.
  3. The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 informs us that we are to come to the aid of those around us, despite their ethnicity.