Local Leaders and Candidates Sign Letter Decrying Discrimination, Violence Against Asian-Americans

Image from screenshot

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, helped along by the former president's repeated reference to it as "the China virus," violence and discrimination against Asian-Americans has been on the rise.

Blogger's Note: This showed up on my Facebook feed last night. It's a letter signed by many public officials, and seeking more signatures, urging all to oppose discrimination against Asian-Americans. It was posted by Royersford Mayor Jenna Antoniewicz and it seemed like a good thing to share. 

March 9, 2021

To our neighbors in Montgomery and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania:

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have watched as discriminatory and xenophobic rhetoric, verbal harassment, and physical violence has increased against Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals and families in our Commonwealth and across the country.

 
We are comprised of many diverse communities. The safety and security of all people, and especially the basic ability to be free from any crime against person, is inherent to building better communities.

Royersford Mayor Jenna Antoniewicz

These lessons begin at home, in our schools, and on our streets. Connected in region and in mission, one act of xenophobic discrimination negatively impacts us all. We recognize that our experiences and backgrounds are unique, even within our own pan-Asian communities. No matter who you are, the victims of these bigoted acts and attitudes are our neighbors and friends, family members and loved ones.

 
Today, we stand united with a common cause. As elected officials and candidates for office, we represent our communities as public servants. As such, we categorically condemn any act of discrimination or violence against any person. 

We are calling upon our fellow leaders of neighboring municipalities, school districts, and beyond to continue the work of combatting all harassment and discrimination, keeping the recent vulnerability of the Asian American community in mind.

 
On our screens, in the news, and in our communities, Asian American and Pacific Islanders are often overlooked and underrepresented. It is troubling to witness a lack of active dialogue or conversation about the increase in discriminatory acts within our communities. 

We invite and encourage you to engage in conversation with your fellow Asian Americans and each other regarding these experiences. Our goal is to give voice to those who are hurting, encourage all of us to be active bystanders, speak out and stand up for our neighbors. 

We ask that you join us in condemning any act that would seek to diminish the very humanity or safety of any person.

 
Recognizing and advancing racial equity is an imperative foundation of any healthy community. Our aim is to continue taking steps to ensure the safety and security of our constituents and neighbors. We hope you will join us in this ongoing work.

 
Sincerely,
Jenna Antoniewicz - Mayor, Royersford Borough
Anil Dham - President of Council, Royersford Borough
Erica Hermans – Candidate for School Board, Spring-Ford Area School District
Sara Hughes - Candidate for School Board, Springfield Township
Reena Kolar - Perkiomen Valley School Board of Directors
Susanna Ratsavong - Candidate for Springfield Township Commissioner
Mayor Peter Urscheler - Phoenixville Borough

Resources:
If an incident is happening now or just happened, dial 9-1-1. To report a hate crime to the FBI, https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/get-help-now

Here are organizations working to advocate and serve as resources for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities:
Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Phila - https://asianchamberphila.org
Asian Americans United - https://aaunited.org/
Asian Community Health Coalition - http://www.asiancommunityhealthcoalition.org/
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of PA - https://apaba-pa.org/
CAP for Kids - https://cap4kids.org/.../immigration.../asian-resources/
Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs - https://www.governor.pa.gov/.../pennsylvania-commission.../
Korean Americans for Civic Participation - https://www.kacp-philly.org/about-kacp
National Association of Asian American Professionals - www.naaapphilly.org
Penn Asian Senior Services - https://passi.us/
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission - https://www.phrc.pa.gov/.../Bias-Hate-Crimes-Information...
SEAMAAC - https://www.seamaac.org/
Stop AAPI Hate - https://stopaapihate.org/

Here are resources within our local communities:
Cheltenham NAACP - https://cheltenhamnaacp.com/
Pottstown NAACP - https://pottstownnaacpbranch2288.org/
Perkiomen Valley School District - http://www.pvsd.org/.../pv-partners-in-equity-and-inclusion
Phoenixville Borough - http://phoenixville.org/432/Human-Relations-Commission
Royersford Borough - https://www.royersfordborough.org/human-relation-board/
Spring-Ford Area School District - https://www.spring-ford.net/about-spring-ford/edi
School District of Springfield Township - https://www.sdst.org/about-us/equity-initiative
Multicultural Parents Association of Springfield Township School District - https://sites.google.com/view/mpaspringfield