Message From the President
Our Asian American communities are hurting. AACATX condemns the hate and violence against Asians and all citizens. It is time to care for one another and help stop racial bias. Understanding, educating, taking actions, and working together are just some of the few first steps to make our cities better places.
As I reflect back to when I emigrated to America from Hong Kong as a child more than fifty years ago to where I am today, I am indebted to my parents for the sacrifices they made so we can have a better lives, and I am so grateful for the opportunities this country has given me. Growing up with the Boy Scout value of honoring God and our Country and caring for one another, I feel blessed and proud to be an American. It is my personal passion and responsibility to give back – and to be considerate of others.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been saddened to see the devastation of this country - the increase of hate, the insurrection of our Capitol, injustice of George Floyd and others, the economic impact of business closures, and now the growing number of attacks against the Asian American communities.
While serving as the President of AACATX, I have had the privilege to experience all the positiveness aspects of working alongside some of the finest and most dedicated individuals, advocacy organizations, and partners – we all have the utmost respect for one another and champion diversity. But we all know that hate, racism, stereotype, and discrimination exist.
Many in our Asian communities here are suffering from racial bias and hate… silently. We have small shop owners who are victims of daily verbal and physical abuse who remain silent due to fear of further escalations, we have nurses caring for patients who are asked to be reassigned because they are Asians, we have many Asian restaurant owners losing their businesses because patrons’ stereotype, we have elderly who are afraid to walk outside for fear of being attacked verbally or physically, and even young people like my great niece, who was bullied and called “Corona Girl” by high schoolers to illustrate how common xenophobia is.
I hope and pray that our country can be healed, and our communities can be safe from discrimination. We will not solve these racist problems overnight, but we can start the process. We all can make a difference, we all can take positive actions, and we all can stand for each other. I ask you to join AACATX and our Asian American communities to help STOP the Asian Hate.
