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NAPALSA Statement of Support for President Biden’s January 26, 2021 Executive Order “Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States” and Against Anti-Asian Violence.

Dear Law Student Community,

 

NAPALSA condemns all forms of racism towards Asian Amercans and Pacific Islanders in the United States and fully supports President Biden’s commitment to addressing this issue. We commend the proposed actions in the order to combat this behavior, and the willingness to stand for what is right. As Asian Pacific Islander American law students, we understand one presidential memorandum will not eradicate racism towards our community in America, but we believe this is a good first step.

 

Racism against our community is increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic and was further inflamed by the rhetoric of the federal government. We are seeing instances of violence and other heinous acts against our community across the country. This includes the recent attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee, an elderly Thai-American in San Francisco, who later died as a result of his injuries. In other instances, members of the AAPI community have been spat on, called racial slurs, had their businesses vandalized, and been the victim of various other forms of hate crimes and hate speech. 

 

This order recognizes the responsibility of the federal government’s role in fueling this behavior. It also sets out guidelines to remedy this issue by ensuring no communications or actions of the federal government or its agencies suggest any form of discriminatory behavior towards the AAPI community.

 

This is a good first step, but to guarantee the issue is addressed by all levels of society, we call on our community to advocate for their state and local municipalities to follow in the federal government’s footsteps with similar initiatives. We also call on our community to raise awareness of this issue in an effort to push for media outlets to shine a national spotlight on these atrocious attacks. This will help elevate this issue to the level of heightened recognition it deserves and help eradicate these racist assaults. 

 

Racism has no place in a country built from immigrants. We all deserve an equal chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the country we love. 

 

In Solidarity, 

NAPALSA Board 2021-2022

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