Statement in Solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander Neighbors

April 30th, 2020

*Edited on 3/30/21 in light of the increased coverage on tragic anti-Asian violence and the shooting in Atlanta*

We are devastated and horrified at the violence targeting the AAPI community by white supremacists in the past month.

While these hate crimes and acts of violence are not new, they are always painful, heartbreaking, and abhorrent. We refuse to stand by silently.

As we grieve for the families affected by this gross act, we encourage supporting their loved ones via their gofundme pages.

• In memory of HyunJungKim to support my brother & I
• Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez Funeral Expenses and Family Support
• ATL Spa Shooting Family Survivor Fund: Jami Webb
• Atlanta Spa Shooting victim "Paul Michels"
• In loving memory of Suncha Kim
• For husband of Soon C Park, victim of spa shooting
• Memorial for Yong Yue and Peterson Family

We also encourage people to educate themselves and take action to tackle the

root issue of these violent acts: white supremacy.

• Bystander Intervention to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harrassment by Hollaback

Seattle Works stands in solidarity with our Asian and Pacific Islander neighbors in the Seattle area and beyond. We are disgusted by racist rhetoric coming from leaders, politicians, and community members-at-large, and scared for our Asian American neighbors as racist verbal and physical assaults ramp up.  

One of the last in-person meetings our staff had before shifting to telecommuting was on March 5th with a local nonprofit organization in the International District that serves Vietnamese Americans. Their director expressed gratitude and surprise that our staff didn’t cancel; she shared that people had already been disproportionately avoiding the International District; that volunteers had been cancelling by the droves; and that she was aware of at least one scary incident involving overt anti-Asian racism toward someone she knows personally. That meeting was over one and a half months ago and unfortunately anti-Asian racism has become even more visible since.   

Our Asian American neighbors have been a pillar of the Puget Sound region. Asian American history in our region is nuanced and powerful; at Seattle Works our staff and volunteers have had the privilege of connecting with this history when we’ve been invited to serve with neighbors at organizations like the Danny Woo Community Garden and Helping Link to name just two. We are in awe of the strength, resolve, contributions, leadership, cultures, and spirit of our Asian American neighbors and wish to speak out as loudly as we can against any harm being directed at them.  #WeGotThisSeattle means we look out for one another, and anything that negatively impacts our neighbors is our collective responsibility to address.      

If you share these sentiments here are some resources that may be of interest to you: 

• Seattle Works’s BIPOC Link Up focusing on the rise of Anti-Asian racism 

• COVID “Offer Support” Volunteer Form for Chinatown International District 

• Find local, small businesses to support through Intentionalist 

• Chinatown International District Small Business Relief Fund 

• COVID-19 Mutual Aid: Coronavirus Bias Incident Report Form 

• Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council: Stop AAPI Hate: Incident Report Form  

• OCA Advocate Hate Incident Reporting Website 

• Wash the Hate 

• Asian Leaders Alliance 

• Seattle Works’s own Racial Grievance Policy and reporting form, for anyone who has feedback about this very letter or has felt harmed by anything Seattle Works has said or done (or not said or done) via social media, programming, or otherwise pertaining to anti-Asian racism. 

We believe #WeGotThisSeattle is true if we all stand unambiguously in the corners of our most vulnerable and impacted community members. This includes our Asian American neighbors, their families, and businesses.   

- Seattle Works