Committee of 100 and Anti-Defamation League issue joint statement against 'hate, xenophobia and violence'

SCREEN CAPTURE  / ABC

Demonstrations against anti-Asian violence and hate are being staged across the U.S. 

The rising tide of hate and violence directed at Asian Americans can't be fought by AAPI alone. It needs to be fought by all Americans.

In response to historic increases in anti-Chinese and anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander incidents and assaults, the Anti-Defamation League, the world’s leading anti-hate organization and Committee of 100, a nonprofit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, issued the following joint statement:

“We are united with all of our Asian American brothers and sisters in standing up against hate, xenophobia and violence,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. 

“Violence towards any minority group is not the answer. The anxiety and fear in the Asian American community is palpable, and we grieve with and support the millions of Chinese Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the U.S. who feel targeted. We commend Committee of 100 for their work in bringing this issue of anti-Asian hate to the forefront and we very much look forward to working with them hand in hand to help solve a crisis that many communities are facing.”

“We at the Committee of 100 are extremely saddened by the increased attacks against Chinese Americans and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community overall. Chinese Americans are Americans. Period. The violence and rhetoric that is happening now in these communities across the U.S. is horrific, sad, and unacceptable,” said Zheng Yu Huang, President of Committee of 100. 

“These acts of hate have no place in America, whether directed against Asian Americans or anyone else. We are extremely thankful to the Anti-Defamation League for standing with us as we collectively work towards concrete actions that will address the roots of the violence and xenophobia directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Hate has no place in our society.”

The ADL and the Committee of 100 are calling on all elected officials and law enforcement to urgently address racism, discrimination and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with actionable, concrete results.

With additional funding, education, and action, there is a chance to put these horrific incidents in the past and move forward as a nation. 

Earlier this month, Committee of 100 outlined seven calls to action that look to hold elected officials and law enforcement accountable for producing change for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. 

The Committee of 100 is calling on these seven initiatives to be enacted immediately:

• We call on all elected officials – including governors, mayors, and members of Congress—to forcefully denounce all acts of anti-Asian racism and bigotry.
• We call on the new U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice to set up a task force to specifically investigate and combat increased violence directed towards the AAPI community.
• We call on the Department of Justice to revamp its China Initiative, which has involved the racial profiling of Chinese scientists and researchers.
• We call for the federal government to provide funding to state and local law enforcement agencies for education, training, and community outreach.
• We call on all law enforcement agencies to adopt a zero-tolerance stance towards acts of bigotry, racism and hate inflicted on Asian Americans, whether verbal, physical or psychological.
• We call on all elected officials and lawmakers to ensure survivors of hate crimes have access to support services in languages used by their local communities.
• We call for the expulsion of any public official, government employee, or law enforcement officer found to be stoking hate or discriminating against people of Asian descent.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  A word of caution -- this post is news laced witih opinion. Readers are encouraged to read multiple news sources to form their own opinion.