The past couple of months have been extremely challenging for the world, our country, our communities, and each one of us. We have been impacted by the global COVID-19 epidemic in ways we could never have imagined, from losing jobs and income to losing friends and loved ones who have succumbed to the virus.
Yet in the midst of this epidemic, we have been greatly inspired by all the acts of kindness that we see in the news and social media, and encourage the community to continue supporting medical workers on the front-line (many of whom are Taiwanese Americans) and those vulnerable members of the community who may need help with buying groceries/essentials, financial assistance, etc. Let us demonstrate the kindness and generosity that Taiwanese Americans have in abundance, while responsibly upholding social distancing and stay-at-home measures in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
Unfortunately, our community has also been facing the threat of rising racism and bigotry. We have seen some of our country’s leaders refer to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as the “Chinese virus”, which not only fuels xenophobic and anti-Asian racist rhetoric, but also endangers the safety and lives of people of Asian descent throughout the United States. We have seen an appalling increase in reports of anti-Asian hate crimes, ranging from aggressive verbal harassment to vandalism of Asian-owned businesses to assault and attempted murder.
TACL calls on our communities to remain vigilant against racism and bigotry. If you are a target or a witness to such acts of hate, please report such events to your local law enforcement and Attorneys General office. (Please see below this statement for some additional resources in your area.)
TACL has long advocated for the Taiwanese/Taiwanese American identity, but in this climate, we acknowledge that some may misconstrue this as being anti-Chinese. Let us be clear: the assertion of a Taiwanese/Taiwanese American identity should not and does not equate to anti-Chinese sentiment.
TACL wholeheartedly agrees with community leader TaiwaneseAmerican.org, who stated: ” We do not encourage asserting Taiwanese identity solely as a means of deflecting anti-Chinese racism. There are hundreds of reasons to take pride in being of Taiwanese heritage; disassociating ourselves from a community that has been violently and unfairly targeted is not one of them.”
Your health and safety are paramount during this difficult time – everyone please stay safe and healthy.
TACL National Board
Resources to Report Acts of Hate:
Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Counsil self reporting website – http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate/
Asian Americans Advancing Justice self reporting website – https://www.standagainsthatred.org/
California’s Office of the Attorney General – https://oag.ca.gov/hatecrimes
Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General – https://law.georgia.gov/contact-us
Massachusett’s Office of the Attorney General – https://www.mass.gov/service-details/protections-against-hate-crimes
New York’s Office of the Attorney General – Civil Rights Bureau – civil.rights@ag.ny.gov, or calling 1-800-771-7755.
Texas’s Office of the Attorney General – https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/contact-us
Washington’s Office of the Attorney General – https://www.atg.wa.gov/contact-us-3
Washington DC’s Office of the Attorney General – https://oag.dc.gov/about-oag/contact-us
Additional COVID resources:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American Commission Resource Document