Like others, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s staff have endured this pandemic year while witnessing persistent violence directed at non-white populations. The latest killing of Daunte Wright by a police officer is another instance of how unsafe it is to live as a person of color in the United States.
The death of George Floyd, and each individual’s loss of life through hate and gun violence is personally felt. The rise in anti Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) violence is addressed in the staff statement below. The statement was welcomed and affirmed by the presiding clerks of the yearly meeting, Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch and Frank Barch, earlier this week.
Staff Statement
The staff of PYM stands with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the United States as we continue to witness brazen anti-AAPI violence aimed at them throughout the nation. We are reminded that this violence and outward hatred is deeply rooted, and predicated on the historical othering of those who are not white, which stems from white supremacy.
We mourn the lives of the six Asian women and the two others who were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia as we stand firmly against the animus Asian American Pacific Islander communities are experiencing on an ongoing basis all over the country. We condemn all attacks on AAPI and the racist othering of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). As the staff of a Quaker organization, we commit to working towards being an anti-racist and equity-conscious staff community. We pray for peace in our society, as we also pray for justice.
Useful AAPI resources
Stop AAPI Hate gives Friends and others an opportunity to be able to report any AAPI focused hate incidents as well as provides a myriad of reports from around the nation, and it has a relevant news ticker that allows for site visitors to stay on top of what’s being discussed about AAPI communities in other ways.
ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE | AAJC
This is a national organization that has a variety of program efforts designed to support the civil rights and human dignity of the Asian community in the US. It has a variety of resources and tools that can be utilized to edify non-Asian communities about the challenges those communities face in the US and it provides avenues for advocacy.
The Long History of US Racism Against Asian Americans
This is a great article on the history of anti-Asian sentiments held in the United States and which stems from white supremacy consciousness.
