ROC United stands with the Asian American Community in wake of attack
Friends,
We are heartbroken and outraged by the continued and rising violence against the Asian American community. We are reminded, once again, that racism is a seeding ground for hatred that destroys lives and blights our communities.
This issue touches us personally. Asian Americans are an important part of the restaurant industry; they are remarkably overrepresented in service occupations that work face-to-face with customers. Service workers and the elderly have borne the brunt of these despicable series of violence and deadly acts, compounding our pain on the front lines of the pandemic.
Today, our cries echo across our nation following the horrific shootings in Atlanta on Tuesday night. We mourn the victims—six Asian women who worked in the service industry and two other innocent individuals—and grieve with their families and loved ones.
While the recent killings remain under investigation, Anti-Asian hate crimes in the nation’s largest cities are up 149 percent in 2020 compared to an overall drop in hate crimes of 7 percent during the same period. And since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been nearly 3,800 instances of targeted violence against the Asian American community.
The Asian American community is an essential and vital part of our restaurant and service industry. Our communities thrive when we ensure that people of all backgrounds are safe and free of bigotry, systemic racism and xenophobia.
For our Asian American members and staff, we are here by your side. We have a number of resources that support and uphold equity, diversity and inclusion as well as combat white supremacy. We encourage our members to reach out with any questions or concerns, or have an open conversation.
Wherever, whenever and however it is happening, we are standing up against hatred and racism. There is no room for hate crimes of any kind.
ROC United demands an immediate end to these senseless hate crimes, and calls on everyone to stand with the Asian American community for justice and resolution.