By Ellis Carr, President and CEO
At Capital Impact Partners, we condemn the recent and ongoing acts of violence against our Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and are fervently opposed to any language or thoughts that justify or lend themselves to such terrible acts.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, open racism toward the AAPI community has led to a rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This has caused another layer of stress and fear for our AAPI neighbors.
Today, older adults are having to be escorted when leaving the house to protect their wellbeing. Small businesses are being vandalized. Women in particular have been targeted, adding a gender-based lens to the violence. Approximately 4,000 attacks have been reported to the STOP AAPI HATE website.
Our AAPI community is just as much a part of the American fabric as any other, having been an essential part of building this nation. These contributions are part of our national and collective history, our culture, and our economy.
Despite these significant contributions, AAPI communities have long experienced racism and exclusion throughout our country’s history. This racism has stemmed from long-held narratives of distrust and of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders being “outsiders” that has been fostered by our own leaders. The Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment camps, to name just two examples, were both policies of our federal government. Blaming people of Asian descent for the pandemic has caused this ugly sentiment to come back to the surface in our society.
We must stand in solidarity with and hold space for our Asian-American and Pacific Islander community.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Justice is needed to protect Black and POC lives and ensure that all people can thrive.
At Capital Impact Partners, these events serve as a solemn reminder of why we center diversity, equity, and inclusion as the backbone of our work to create communities of opportunity. That means centering the humanity of every member of our communities, seeing ourselves in each other, and recognizing the assets each of us bring to bear.
As we push toward a future of equitable, inclusive communities, we must look around at our neighbors and know that we have reached our goal together.
We ask that you stand with us, and if you see or hear of an act of violence against another Asian American or Pacific Islander member of our community, that you report it to the STOP AAPI HATE website.
