SWHPN Statement Against Anti-Asian Racism

Mar

In continuing with our work to speak up and challenge social injustice, SWHPN is issuing this statement condemning the hateful attacks against Asians, Asian-Americans, and Pacific Islanders. We have seen a rise in verbal and physical violence in cities across the United States because of anti-Asian racism following the COVID-19 pandemic (Ruiz, Horowitz, Tamir, 2020; Jeung, Yellow Horse, Popovic, Lin, 2021). In the murders of Korean-Americans on March 16th in Atlanta, we saw the twin biases of sexism and racism that Asian women, in particular, have been victims of in our societal structure of white patriarchy. Affirming our social work values, we explicitly reject all forms of racism, xenophobia, and nativism, and stand with our Asian-American victims of violence and hate. By doing so, we also acknowledge that the struggles of Asian-Americans are inextricably linked with other BIPOC communities in a common endeavor for the humanity of this country. We uphold the inherent dignity and worth of each person and challenge others to join us in working against anti-Asian violence.

We recognize that our statement must be followed with action. Understanding our positionality and respecting the vanguard role of the Asian-American community, we want to use this opportunity to highlight the work being done by our Asian American Social Workers, and advocacy groups like Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Stop AAPI Hate (@stopAAPIHate on Twitter). The Atlanta branch of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice released a very powerful statement earlier today that we encourage you to read, and amplify and donate if possible. The Chicago branch is holding a series of bystander intervention trainings during April that SWHPN staff will be participating in, and we encourage you to sign up (also available here, through ihollaback.org).

To our social work members who are Asian and Asian-American, we see you and stand with you. We realize the past year with COVID has been extraordinarily difficult, made more so by the extra burden of navigating for your personal safety. We also recognize the long history of anti-Asian racism in the United States, coupled with the intersectionality of violence against women. We hope we can be a source of support for you, through connecting with others, through our professional development highlighting the need for additional training on these matters, and in our commitment to elevating your voices.

References

Ruiz, N.G., Horowitz, J.M., & Tamir, C. (2020) Many Black and Asian Americans Say They Have Experienced Discrimination Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak, Pew Researh Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/07/01/many-black-and-asian-americans-say-they-have-experienced-discrimination-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak/

Jeung, R., Yellow Horse, A., Popovic, T, & Lim, R. (2021). Stoop AAPI Hate National Report 3/19/20 – 2/28/21. Stop AAPI Hate. https://a1w.90d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210312-Stop-AAPI-Hate-National-Report-.pdf

Resources:

Follow AAPI community leaders, activists, and artists on social media for further education and resources: