Now is the time to recommit to anti-racism
On January 6, millions watched as a mob of thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent attack against Congress that lead to a lockdown, evacuation and five deaths. The riot followed remarks by President Trump, who urged supporters to walk to the Capitol and “show strength” and “fight” to overturn the results of the election and stop the peaceful transition of power.
In response to the events, ACRS Policy and Civic Engagement Director Shomya Tripathy says it’s important to reflect on and renew our commitment to anti-racism and Black lives and shared the following statement on behalf of ACRS on Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
“Earlier this month, white supremacists stormed the capitol in a violent attempt to halt the certification of election results and the peaceful transition of power. It was yet another visceral reminder of the pervasiveness at which white supremacy operates. Equally saddening and unsurprising was the disparate response from law enforcement toward the militants. Throughout this country’s history, Black and Brown protestors who have fought for freedom and justice have not been met with the same restraint that was afforded to the white supremacists at the capitol. Over the summer, as protestors took to the streets to demand that Black Lives Matter, law enforcement responded with tear gas and force.
This double standard of law enforcement is a critical reminder that our response to white supremacy must be more imaginative. Our solutions cannot be to rely on law enforcement to protect us. The antithesis to white supremacy is anti-racism, and our solutions lie in our ability to practice it with creativity and integrity. Now is the time to recommit to anti-racism through tactics that deeply invest in our communities.
As we anticipate more displays of white supremacy not only in Washington, DC but all over the country in these coming weeks, we must continue to meet our commitment with action. As the legislative session begins in Olympia, we will advocate for policies that invest directly in BIPOC communities, that call for greater police accountability, that restore the voting rights of those impacted by the criminal legal system, and that center and uplift the needs of our most marginalized community members. We will continue to interrogate what an authentic and impactful commitment toward building an anti-racist world looks like, and we hope that you will join us in figuring it out. “
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Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) offers hope and opportunity in over 40 languages and is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization working for social justice and offering a broad array of behavioral health programs, human services and civic engagement activities for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and other communities – whether immigrant, refugee or American-born – in Washington.
