Sacramento can denounce racist violence at rally against anti-Asian hate
In addition to the horror of watching an innocent woman of Asian descent get punched and kicked outside a luxury apartment building in New York City simply because of her race, what caught our eye as much as the violence was the reaction of the security guard inside the building — he closed the door!
That action summarized how the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have felt for a long time when it comes to feeling acceptance in this country: The door is closed to us.
At that moment, we knew it was time to do more than just stand on the sidelines and watch our people continue to be victims of verbal and physical hate.
That’s why we’re proudly helping to organize and participate in the nationwide #UnityAgainstHate Rally set for May 15 at 11 a.m. There are rallies currently scheduled in 10 cities throughout the country — in Sacramento, New York City, Washington D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, Henderson, Nevada and Columbus, Ohio. For rally details visit https://www.communityagainsthate.org/.
May was chosen for the #UnityAgainstHate Rally because it’s AAPI Heritage Month. There are two important dates in May: May 6 is the 139th anniversary of ending the Chinese Exclusion Act and May 13 is the scheduled gathering of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in Washington, D.C.
The instances of hate toward the AAPI community have increased dramatically over the last year. According to AAPI Data, a policy and research nonprofit group, some two million people in the AAPI community have experienced instances of hate over the past year. What makes that number so alarming is that many other instances go underreported. We have suffered in silence, but no more.
In addition to the murder of eight people (six of whom where Asian Americans) at three Atlanta-area massage parlors and the attack of the elderly Asian woman in New York City, every community in this country has seen increases in hate — including Sacramento.
Recently, an Asian-owned business was vandalized in East Sacramento and cameras caught a man leaving a dead cat in the parking lot of a Chinese American business.
The incident with the dead cat resulted in the Sacramento City Council passing a resolution condemning hate against the AAPI community. While we appreciate action taken by the City Council, it’s time for all of us to stand up and take a stand against hate.
This event is being called #UnityAgainstHate Rally because we know hate is not specific to just one gender or race. We’ve all witnessed the atrocities against the Black Community. We know our Hispanic brothers and sisters and those in the LGBTQ community have struggled for acceptance and equality in this country.
We and most others in the AAPI community know that the vast majority of Americans are good, kind and generous people.
But hate, whether verbal or physical and regardless of race or gender, is hate against all of us. We firmly believe this rally will give all Americans a chance to listen to the pain AAPI and others have experienced when it comes to hate. If we can all become more self-aware of the experiences of others who don’t look like us, we can all become more empathetic, and the seeds for long-lasting change can be planted.
If we can use this rally as a starting point to change people’s hearts, maybe the next time someone who doesn’t look like you or me is being attacked, people won’t close the door.
This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM.