Statement from LEAD Filipino Board of Directors and Organizing Team:
The members of LEAD Filipino stand united to denounce and decry the rash of violence afflicting Asian American communities across the country.
Our hearts and prayers are with the victims and families impacted by senseless and aimless hatred in Atlanta and numerous cities throughout the United States.
In the past year alone, we’ve seen a significant surge in hate crimes and violence toward the AAPI community, predominantly our elders. In San Jose, a Pinay was recently verbally and sexually assaulted at the CalTrain Diridon Station on her way to work, a Vietnamese woman was robbed a week before Lunar New Year, and a Lola was attacked at knifepoint in her driveway in the Silver Creek Area.
It is unconscionable that during a time that has necessitated that we prioritize our, and each other’s health and safety, that we find ourselves facing a 1,900% increase in violence with rates continuing to climb.
The legacy of AAPIs in America is rich, extends across generations, and lays a deep imprint within the past two centuries of the union’s development and evolution. We each hold distinct narratives and experiences, but are bound together by our solidarity in confronting injustices and combating hatred against any member of our community – and against anyone for that matter.
When any community member is attacked, it’s a strike against all of us. Let us be clear that hate has no place in San Jose, Silicon Valley, and our broader region and nation.
We must act now.
There are concrete actions that we can take in San Jose to engage in constructive solutions – one’s that do not exacerbate current tensions between communities and law enforcement, but instead consider alternative ways to educate, spread awareness, and protect everyone.
In the coming weeks, LEAD Filipino will be engaging in and performing the following actions:
- Participating in the virtual 3/26 Day of Action to #StopAsianHate
- Hosting Magkasama Listening Sessions with the City of San Jose – Saturday, 3/27 (9AM-11AM and 6PM-8PM)
- Hosting a Policy, Politics, & Puto Roundtable on Theories of Justice – Sunday, 3/28