LISC Charter School Financing Condemns Anti-Asian Violence and Racism
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LISC Charter School Financing Condemns Anti-Asian Violence and Racism

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    • The recent horrific murders of eight people in Atlanta, including six Asian women, come at a time of unprecedented violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). There have been 3,800 reports of hate incidents targeting members of AAPI communities across the country since last March when the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the advocacy organization Stop AAPI Hate. LISC Charter School Financing condemns this violence and all hate incidents, and stands in solidarity with AAPI communities everywhere.

    Anti-Asian racism, fueled by the pandemic, has brought the often silenced but longstanding history of scapegoating, discrimination, and hate incidents to the fore. It is particularly dismaying that these crimes have surged as we approach the 79th anniversary of the Japanese internment camps and U.S. v. Korematsu, a blot on America’s promise of equality, and nearly 140 years after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to name just two examples of America’s institutionalized anti-AAPI racism. These anniversaries serve as painful reminders that violence against AAPI communities is not new. In the more recent past, there was a significant spike in violence against Asian Muslims and Sikhs following 9/11. In spite of the hard lessons of our history, harmful stereotypes and discrimination against AAPI people are still fomenting brutality and injustice.

    This violence has also been on the rise in schools across this nation. The painful impact of anti-AAPI racism has also been embedded in the classroom and critical history has been left out of textbooks. The perpetuation of the “model minority” myth has left those within the AAPI community who don’t fulfill the stereotype excluded from needed academic and social interventions, policies, and programming. Despite stereotypes, 12.3% of Asian Americans live below the federal poverty level. In 2014, 17.9% of people living in poverty in New York City were Asian American or Pacific Islander. Asian American community organizations received only 1.4% of the total value of the city’s social service contracts and 1.5% of total contract dollars from the Department of Social Services.

    Racist and gender-based violence, white supremacy and xenophobia have afflicted our nation since its inception. We must name them, condemn them, and do everything in our power to stanch them, wherever and in whatever form they occur. At LISC, through our new strategic plan, we have intensified our commitment to dismantling systems that continue to perpetuate racial violence. We are applying a racial equity lens to every aspect of our work, from staff development and project financing, to capacity building and program implementation. Our mission, and the collectively held values of our team, will stand for nothing less.

    This is a painful time for all of us—especially for those of us who are members of AAPI communities. It’s also a reminder of just how critical it is that we pull together and redouble our dedication to the larger goal of making our communities, and the entire United States, more inclusive, equitable and safe for all. The LISC Charter School Financing team remains committed to working with our BIPOC partners to advocate for community-centered solutions that challenge hate and violence because no one in this country should fear for their lives on account of their race or gender.

    Below please see resources curated by our team to learn more about what can be done on an individual level to address AAPI hate.

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