To our AAPI community - it’s time to stop investing in police and start re-investing in community
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Ahmaud Arbery. David McAtee. And so, so, so many more have been taken too soon by the police and white supremacists.
These deaths, as well as the disproportionate amount of COVID-19 deaths in the Black community, are caused by systems deeply rooted in the dehumanization of black lives, the prioritization of corporate interests and private property over the lives of working people.
Furthermore, we are witnessing protesters for Black Lives get violently attacked by the police, experience arrests due to unjust curfew policies, and face threats from white supremacist vigilantes.
We must do our part to create social change. We must create a new world where Black Lives Matter, where community wellbeing is valued over corporations, and where community safety is valued over police departments.
We are in solidarity with the the Movement for Black Lives, and call on you as our community members to join us supporting the following demands from the Movement for Black Lives’ National Week of Action In Defense of Black Lives:
Demand the rights of protesters to be respected
Demand a divestment from the police and investment in black communities
Demand immediate COVID-19 relief for communities
Demand community control of budgets, economies, the police department, etc.
Demand an end to the war against Black people (criminalization, incarceration, killing of Black people)
Forging an abolitionist strategy for defending Black lives.
HERE IS A LIST OF SOME RESOURCES TO FURTHER YOUR OWN POLITICAL EDUCATION OR TO REFERENCE FOR IN-LANGUAGE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES:
Political Education (English):
Black and Asian-American Feminist Solidarities: A Reading List from Black Women Radicals
Open Letter to Community: A call for unity and solidarity in the face of violence (organized by MN Asian organizations)
Alternatives to Policing in Arab & Muslim Communities by Arab Resource & Organizing Center
Video: Asian American Solidarity in Support of Black Lives hosted by Asian Americans United
In-language resources:
Letters for Black Lives (letters about anti-blackness translated into various languages)
English/Chinese: A Letter from a Yale student to the Chinese American Community
Upcoming virtual events:
June 5th, 12pm PT – Vietnamese Solidarity & Action Network Community Conversation
June 6th, 10am PT – Making Meaning Of This Moment; Forging An Abolitionist Strategy For Defending Black Communities
June 6th, 4pm PT – In Defense of Black Life: Cambodian Community Conversation hosted by Southeast Asian Freedom Network
June 11th, 2pm PT – Using the Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit To Defend Black Lives hosted by Grassroots Asians Rising
June 12th, 3pm PT – South Asians in Defense of Black Lives
THE MOVEMENT FOR LIBERATION IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. WE’LL BE IN TOUCH IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK TOWARD THE DIVESTMENT OF POLICE AND INVESTMENT IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES, BUT FOR NOW, PLEASE CONSIDER GETTING INVOLVED IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
Plug into the Movement for Black Lives, and their virtual events, mutual aid, and policy platforms.
Follow and support local organizations that are fighting to defend Black lives. Here is a list of anti-racist groups in California, compiled by We Are California.
Make sure California reinvests and prioritizes the education, health, and safety of our communities. Schools and Communities first is a historic initiative that will end corporate loopholes and reclaim $12 billion for local schools and communities. Add your name to the #AAPIs4SCF movement here and join us for a virtual campaign kickoff next Wednesday here.
**If you have suggestions for political education materials, in-language resources, or virtual events to add to this list, please email Lan@aapiforce.org**