UFCW 21's Statement in Solidarity with Our AAPI Community
“We must stand together in solidarity against the hate and ignorance that is going on, today more than ever.” -Kyong Barry, UFCW 21 Executive Board Member
As we saw last week, with the murder of six Asian women in their places of work in Georgia, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are targets for violence which has gone up over 150% in the last year. UFCW 21 AAPI members, in additional to putting their lives at risk in the middle a pandemic to feed and care for us, have faced verbal threats and physical violence from customers, patients, and colleagues in their workplaces. Customers have also attacked AAPI customers in our grocery stores.
“Our Asian American communities in Washington State are vital parts of the fabric of our society. My neighborhood of White Center is vibrant because of the diverse Asian American communities who live here. These are my neighbors, my customers, and my friends, and I am committed to ensuring that they are safe walking in our neighborhoods and coming into our grocery stores.” -Jeannette Randall, UFCW 21 Executive Board Member
UFCW 21 is committed to confronting and ending racism in all of its forms. We believe that until everyone is safe at work, no one is safe, and we all need to be part of making that real. We take our lead from Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), API Chaya and other AAPI-led partner groups. The UFCW 21 executive board encourages everyone to attend the upcoming United Against Hate-APALA workshop to learn our history, so that we can take action in our present.
EVENT: Hate Crimes and the AAPI Community: Standing up to Racist Attacks by White Supremacists and the Far Right
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 27, 1 pm (PT)
UFCW 21 signed on to a solidarity statement by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and United Against Hate encourages all to sign on.