Message from the ED: Remember and Prevent

Thirty-three years ago this week, Vincent Chin was killed in a hate crime in Detroit. Last week, Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Cynthia Hurd, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Daniel Simmons, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, and Susie Jackson were killed in a hate crime in Charleston. There are thousands more we could name who have died as a result of hate crimes.

What do we do about this? We have become numb to hearing about human deaths – even those from mass shootings and racist ideology. We have come to accept that continued division among Americans is just the way it is.

But, we need to do more. We need to do better at eliminating ideologies that divide us and provide better access to tools that build this country, not destroy it. We all have to keep trying to do our part.

Asian American LEAD is empowering low-income APA youth to be confident leaders, not just for themselves, but in the broader community. We are not creating a space for Asian Pacific Americans to be isolated; we are intentional in creating spaces for youth of all backgrounds to be equipped with the tools and opportunities to define themselves and their own futures. We are intentional about cross-cultural work to foster greater understanding.

Our work is not enough to change all that we need to change in this country, but it’s a start.