To our Black friends and comrades:
This letter is overdue. It’s hard to know what to say; the grief and terror and rage and exhaustion feel never-ending.
We feel it too.
Asian Americans have not always fought for our Black siblings. We have to acknowledge this uncomfortable truth and confront anti-Blackness in our communities. We have not always stood up against white supremacy. Too many of us have remained complicit, believing the Model Minority Myth – a concept created by a white man to uphold white supremacy by pitting communities of color against each other.
We will not ignore systemic anti-Black terrorism. As an intersectional feminist community organizing Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in Ohio for social justice, we recognize that anti-Asian racism, erasure, exploitation, imperialism, and colonization are inherently rooted in anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity.
The fact is, your fight is also ours. White supremacy is our common enemy.
No more ignorance. No more excuses. No more “now more than ever” or “this is unprecedented.” We commit to taking collective action toward Black liberation. We commit to educating ourselves, our members, our families, our friends, and our communities. We recognize that building deep, lasting solidarity takes a lifetime of hard work. We promise to hold ourselves and others accountable as co-conspirators in the movement
In the meantime, we want to say that we feel your pain and grief. We extend love, support, and affirmation to you. We see and hear you. We will hold space with you.
With love and solidarity,
OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership in Ohio