- In July 2014, Eric Garner, a 43 year-old unarmed black man, was killed when a New York City police officer placed him in a chokehold after Garner questioned the officer as to why he was being harassed.
- In March 2018, Stephon Clark, a 22 year-old unarmed black man, was shot and killed by two officers of the Sacramento Police Department in the backyard of his grandmother's house while he had a phone in his hand. The officers stated that they shot Clark, firing 20 rounds, believing that he had pointed a gun at them. Police found only a cell phone on him.
- In September 2018, an off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer entered the apartment of Botham Jean, a 26 year-old unarmed black man, and fatally shot him. The officer said that she had entered the apartment believing it was her own and that she shot Jean, believing he was a burglar.
- In February 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, was fatally shot in Glynn County, Georgia, while jogging. Arbery had been pursued and confronted by two white men, a father and son, who were armed and driving a pickup truck. The father was a former police officer, and his son shot Arbery at point-blank range with a shotgun. The event was recorded on video by a third white man, who was following Arbery in a second vehicle. No arrests were made until May 7, two days after the video of Arbery’s shooting went viral.
- In March 2020, Breonna Taylor, an unarmed 26-year-old black woman, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers. The officers forced entry into her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky under the authority of a no-knock search warrant. Gunfire was exchanged between the LMPD officers and Taylor's boyfriend, who believed that the officers were intruders. The LMPD officers fired over twenty shots, and Taylor was killed after being shot eight times.
- In May 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. A white police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down in the street, begging for his life and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe."
These are only a fraction of the stories of which we know. These stories are only a minuscule fraction of the abuses that have actually occurred against the Black community as the result of senseless police brutality.
We are Asian American Pacific Islander women. While we face our own societal obstacles based on our race alone, we absolutely recognize that those disadvantages will never compare to the fear that the Black community faces on a daily basis. We do not live in fear that we, or our loved ones, will be killed for asking why a police officer has pulled us over, while going on a jog, for using a cell phone, or while simply existing in our own homes.
As women of color, as mothers, and as humans, we cannot remain silent when confronted with the reality that any person has to live with this fear. We have an obligation to proactively contribute to positive change, whether by marching, donating, signing petitions, educating ourselves on Black history and experiences, and speaking out against racism in any form. We unequivocally believe that Black lives matter and that there cannot peace until there is justice for all.
In this episode, we discuss our thoughts on the current climate of race relations in America and our call to action in light of the most recent atrocities committed against the Black community. We hope you will share yours with us as well.
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WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
- Participate in #BLACKOUTDAY2020 on July 7, 2020. This is a call to action where ALL people of color are encouraged to come together in one day of solidarity to not spend a dollar. Collectively, this group of minorities has $3.9 trillion dollars in economic spending power.
- Use your own platform, big or small, to educate your family and friends on the injustice black people face daily. It’s not enough to be quietly non-racist, now is the time to be vocally anti-racist.
- Donate to organizations serving Black communities, like TGI Justice Project, Black Girls Code, and the NAACP to name a few. This is just one of the many suggestions from Michelle Kim’s article, “20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now”. We encourage you to read the full article.
- Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein published a full list of Anti-racism resources that range from articles, videos, bookies, movies, organizations to support, and more. Please go here to read it.
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