iMentor Community,
Last night, I went to bed hearing of the unspeakable violence against Asian American people in Atlanta. As the days go by and our communities are on the verge of reopening, hate crimes against Asian Americans, and particularly Asian American women, are increasing across the country. Restaurant owners (those that are able to open at all) are adjusting operations to protect their Asian employees, and community groups have formed to support the elderly as they endeavor to go out and buy groceries. And now, the horror of domestic terrorism.
iMentor continues to condemn hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans across the U.S. We stand with #AAPI iMentor students and with the Asian American community, which has experienced increased racial violence since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following yesterday’s tragic events in Atlanta, I was reflecting and holding in my heart the pain of the attacks on Asian Americans. I felt numb as I thought about all the loss, violence, and harm that so many communities have experienced over this year. I want to call out specifically the disproportionate losses in the triple pandemic that Latinx and Black communities have endured. This triple pandemic has been the magnifying glass through which we can see the inequity and systemic racism built into our healthcare, our economy, our schools, our system of justice and policing, and our communities.
It’s important that we not forget or erase the real harm that is felt and continues to be felt by us all. When one group is oppressed, none of us can have true equality. When marginalized communities stand together, we are one step closer to eradicating racism and bigotry.
Let’s remember that iMentor is more than a nonprofit. We are a community—one that all of us are building together in service of a shared vision. We are bound to one another, and the evidence lies in the ways we show up for and support one another every day.
Today, we ask you to join us in this fight. Be an antiracist and speak out against racism and injustice. In support of these efforts, we share these resources from the AAPI Covid-19 Project.
