Statement from SVBC on anti-Asian American violence
SVBC believes all people on our streets should feel valued, safe and supported. We denounce the recent acts of hate-based violence against Asian American elders in the Bay Area and nationally, including the shooting that occurred in Atlanta. Our hearts go out to the victims and their grieving families. We stand in solidarity with the Asian American community, who have been unfairly blamed for the pandemic due to racism. Our staff, board, membership, and supporters include Asian American folks, who deserve to feel as safe and welcome on the streets as anyone else.
Our vision for street safety is rooted in solutions that benefit us all, and does not further oppression and trauma in Black, Indigenous and other People of Color communities. We stand together with all who denounce racism, work toward systemic change and fight to end violence in our communities. To read more about SVBC’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, see the framework and goals.
In February, SVBC signed on to the Joint Statement of Solidarity Condemning Anti-Asian Violence with the Asian Americans for Community Involvement. Read the full statement below and on AACI’s website.
February 12, 2021
As community-based organizations and foundations committed to racial equity and justice for Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities of color, we come together to send a clear, unified message of solidarity opposing xenophobia, discrimination, and violence. We denounce the recent violent crimes perpetrated against the elderly Asian American community within the Bay Area and nationally. We stand in solidarity with the victims, their families, and all who have been affected by these horrific acts.
Attacks against the API community are not new, and the pandemic has exacerbated the long history of anti-Asian rhetoric and xenophobia. Whether race-based crimes or crimes of opportunity, we cannot allow these heinous acts against our elders to continue. We call for our elected leaders to take swift action to protect our ethnically diverse communities from further violence. We call for solutions that address the root cause of such violence by investing in education, resources, and community-based solutions, such as:
Raising awareness and ending the silence by insisting that our diverse community and elected leaders speak publicly on mainstream and ethnic media condemning these attacks;
Prioritizing community-based response to protect vulnerable communities that does not involve or rely on increased law enforcement intervention and perpetuate violence and trauma against Black and Brown communities. Our communities have organized and advanced community solutions to ensure safety for generations. We must honor this wisdom and experience and use it to guide solutions now; and
Conducting cross-cultural community education to promote empathy, understanding, and a shared responsibility for an end to violence and communal healing.
The API community continues to be the target of racism and hate-based violence, compounded by the social consequences and rhetoric of the COVID-19 pandemic. We need a systemic, comprehensive, and multi-racial approach to address racism at all levels. If we want to succeed in ending hateful attacks against any of our communities, we must stand together, work together, and denounce racism together.
In Solidarity,
African Diaspora Network
American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley
American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley AAPI Caucus
Alum Rock Counseling Center
American Muslim Community Foundation
APJCC Preschool
Asian American Recovery Services, a program of HealthRIGHT 360
Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)
Asian Law Alliance
Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute
Behavioral Health Contractors’ Association
Bill Wilson Center
CAIR San Francisco Bay Area
Cambodian Women’s Association
Caminar
Cancer CAREpoint
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits
City Year San José/Silicon Valley
Coalition for Justice and Accountability
Community Health Partnership
Community Services Agency
Community Solutions
Destination: Home
Educare California at Silicon Valley
Fred Finch Youth & Family Services
Gardner Health Services
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
Horizon Services
Indian Business & Professional Women
Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley
International Children Assistance Network
Japantown Neighborhood Association
JCRC of Jewish Silicon Valley
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
LEAD Filipino
LifeMoves
Lighthouse of Hope Counseling Center
Maitri
Mekong Community Center
Momentum for Health
Morado Consulting
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA)
Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute, School of Arts & Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza
NAMI Santa Clara County
National Compadres Network
Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence
Our City Forest
Pakistani American Community Center
Parisi House on the Hill
Peninsula Family Service
PIVOT – The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization
Project HIRED
Project Safety Net, Inc.
Recovery Cafe San Jose
Sacred Heart Community Service
San Jose Nikkei Resisters
San Jose Taiko
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits
SOMOS Mayfair
SV@Home
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
The Health Trust
The Wilfred Jarvis Institute
United Way Bay Area
Unity Care
Valley Medical Center Foundation
Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action
Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR)
Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation (VIVO)
West Valley Community Services
Working Partnerships USA
You Belong Here Foundation
Youth Community Service
Yu-Ai Kai Japanese American Community Service Center
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley