Dear Community;
The Staff and Board of Directors at Support for Families of Children with Disabilities strongly condemn the recent rise in racially motivated violence against Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI). We stand by our Asian American Pacific Islander staff, families, and community partners in this particularly difficult time.
Eight people were killed in a string of attacks in Georgia.
It is important to know the names to help see, honor and mourn the human tragedy caused by this hate. Six of the women were of Asian descent including four who were Korean. The names of all victims are:
Daoyou Feng
Hyun Jung Grant
Suncha Kim
Paul Andre Michels
Soon Chung Park
Xiaojie Tan
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Yong Ae Yue
When the Pandemic began last year, misguided information and blame for the creation and spread of COVID-19 was unjustly directed at the AAPI community. This messaging perpetuated violence, which negatively impacted Asian-owned businesses, and has forced many of the AAPI community into isolation for fear of harm and lack of safety. Living in a safe and supportive community is a human right and we are committed to this most basic of all rights by finding ways to elevate the safety of our staff, our families, and our community partners; we commit to holding space to share resources and strategies; and we commit to elevating the voices of those families directly impacted as well as all of the communities who have been marred by violence, hate, and racism.
We recognize that violence affects all of us and all of our communities. We must invest in long-term community-centered solutions that create spaces for cross-racial healing that address underlying causes and create ways for all to thrive. We believe that our strength is in unity, not division, and that our histories and our futures are intertwined. That is why we are committed to working with Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander communities for long-term shared vision and solutions to stop the violence in all our communities.
Support for Families stands united in declaring that hate, violence, and racism have no place in our world or our work. This letter represents our commitment to community engagement and action to build a strong, resilient community that respects and defends the human dignity of all of its members.
With both great sadness and hope,
Jim Welsh, Executive Director on behalf of our staff and Board of Directors
