CPA Stands with the Black struggle for Justice and Freedom

June 10, 2020

Media Contacts:

Joyce Lam (Chinese) 

Lai Wa Wu (English)

We all Deserve to Breathe. CPA Stands with the Black struggle for Justice and Freedom

Justice for #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor #AhmaudArbery

A Public Statement to our community from Chinese Progressive Association

The Chinese Progressive Association stands in solidarity with black communities fighting for justice and freedom. We demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many others who have been killed by police and racist violence. Our hearts are broken for the families who will not see their children achieve their dreams or grow old, and for the children who will not grow up with their parents.

As Chinese immigrants, we know that racism and exploitation run deep in this country. For hundreds of years, our families were banned from immigrating to this country. Many of us have been turned away from good jobs because our English wasn’t good enough or have been told to go “back home” when we were born in this country and have worked to make this country our home. Before the pandemic, our community was already feeling unsafe and insecure, and over the last few months, we have seen the harm, violence, and pain of anti-Asian racism. Many of us have stood up against this and called to account those who seek to blame us for the pandemic. While we experience this fear in cycles that rise and fall, it is important to remember that Black people in this country live with the violence of racism daily. 

Two weeks ago, George Floyd was killed by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Two months before George Floyd was killed, Breonna Taylor was murdered by Louisville police officers while sleeping in her own home. A month before Breonna Taylor was killed, Ahmaud Arbery was murdered while he was jogging in his own neighborhood by two white men who did not think that he belonged. These are just some of the names of Black people who have been murdered by the police or racists. The very people who are supposed to protect our communities have instead been the perpetrators of violence against Black people.

Across the country, and right here in our city, hundreds of thousands of people have marched in the streets to demand justice for George Floyd and the many Black people who have been killed and harmed by police violence. Their struggle and demand for justice is not just centuries old but recent and current. This past month, Asian, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, and white people have joined thousands of Black people out in the streets in the midst of a pandemic to demand an end to the violence and oppression that targets our black community. We joined because Black lives are already at risk every day. We joined because Black or Chinese, all of us want good and healthy lives for our families. 

Throughout this pandemic, many of us have been worried about Chinatown’s survival, the impact on our small businesses, and the community organizations that help our community thrive. Our communities have worked hard to build businesses that have struggled throughout this pandemic, and the recent damage has exacerbated fears. We do not condone the damage, and as Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “[this] is the language of the unheard.” While we work to rebuild our communities, we must also build and deepen our understanding and relationships with the Black community. We must understand how systemic and entrenched racism and our government has historically shifted blame onto the people, pitting us against each other and ultimately hurting all of us. We must understand that black people are asking people of all races, Chinese people included, to support demands for justice and equality that benefit all people. 

We do not know what the future holds. What we do know is that Chinatown is resilient and that all of us deserve to live with dignity and respect. For hundreds of years, Chinatown has been our home and kept our communities safe. It has withstood fires and earthquakes. It will survive the pandemic, and it will survive this. For our people to survive, we must stay united in these times of crisis and make sure that our city addresses the underlying causes of inequities by investing in cross-racial community building, healing, and organizing, and build out community-driven crisis intervention services, holistic victim wrap-around and case management support. And we must continue to invest in our communities to ensure all of us have access to good schools, healthy and safe living conditions, and the opportunities to build good lives for ourselves and our families so that each of us can breathe and thrive. 

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About the Chinese Progressive Association:

Founded in 1972, the Chinese Progressive Association educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people. CPA was founded on the values of solidarity with other working class communities of color, in particular the Black community. It was their leadership that led to the empowerment of Asian Americans and many of the gains we have today. 

 

華人進步會致華埠社區書

呼吸乃眾人的權利–華人進步會聲援黑人追求正義和自由的抗爭

為 #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor #AhmaudArbery 伸張正義

2020年6月10日

 

華人進步會支持正在為正義和自由而戰的黑人社區。我們要求為喬治·弗洛伊德(George Floyd)、泰勒(Breonna Taylor)、阿貝里(Ahmaud Arbery),和眾多死於警察和種族主義者暴力的人伸張正義。當想起那些將看不見自己孩子達成夢想或成家立室的家庭,及那些將不會在父母親呵護下成長的孩子,我們悲從中來,傷痛欲絕。

身為華裔移民,我們深明種族歧視和剝削在美國源遠流長。歷史上,我們的家庭有上百年被這個國家拒諸門外。我們當中有很多人曾經因為不諳英語而找不到一份好工作;即便是出生於此地的、或已奉這裡為安身立命之所的,也總會遇過「滾回老家」之類的謾罵。在瘟疫流行之前,我們的社區其實已經終日惶恐不安,而在最近幾個月裡,我們更見證了源於仇亞種族主義的傷害、暴力,和痛苦。我們當中有很多人勤於仗義執言,除了批評此等種族歧視之外,亦有要求向將疫情委過於人的官員問責。必須記得的是,我們所面對的恐懼是週期性的,時增時減,可黑人在這個國家裡所經歷的卻是日復一日的暴力。

兩個禮拜前,喬治·弗洛伊德死於一名白人警察的膝蓋之下,他被壓頸長達九分鐘致死。於喬治·弗洛伊德被殺的兩個月前,泰勒在自己家中睡覺時被路易維爾(Louisville)的警察謀殺。在泰勒被殺的一個月前,阿貝里於自己區內跑步期間,被兩名認定他不屬於那個社區的白人謀殺。上述只是幾個死於警察或種族主義者之手的黑人名字。每每就是那些肩負起保護我們社區之重任的人,在面對黑人的時候成為施暴者。

在整個美國,包括我們所在的城市,數以十萬計的人走上街頭要求為喬治·弗洛伊德以及眾多被警暴殺害的黑人伸張正義。他們的抗爭和對正義的追求歷久彌新,已經有幾個世紀的歷史。近月,亞太裔、拉丁裔、美國原住民,和白人紛紛於疫情期間聯同在街道上數以千萬計的黑人,要求終止針對黑人社區的暴力和壓迫。我們也有參與其中,因為黑人的生命時刻受威脅。我們也有參與其中,因為無論黑人華人,我們大家都渴望我們的家庭能夠活得好、活得健康。

在整個瘟疫期間,我們當中很多人都擔心華埠的未來,以及小商業和我們賴以成功的社區組織所受的打擊。我們的社區極盡努力,衹望我們親手打造的生意能夠渡過瘟疫這一關,可最近的破壞加深了我們的恐懼。我們並不容忍破壞,同時亦記起馬丁路德金的話:「[這]是不被傾聽者的語言。」在我們重建自己社區的同時,我們亦需要加深對黑人社區的理解,並和他們建立起更紮實的聯繫。我們必須明白到,持久和系統性的種族歧視以及我們政府慣常地將責任推到人民身上,挑起我們之間的紛爭,最終傷害我們所有人。我們必須明白到,黑人現在是邀請所有人,包括華人在內,支持有關正義和平等的訴求,因為最終得益的將會是我們每一個人。

未來仍然是一個未知之數。不過,我們可以肯定的是,華埠具有頑強的韌力,而我們每一位都值得有尊嚴地過每一天。幾百年來,華埠一直是我們的家,保障我們社區的安全。它沒有因為火災或地震而倒下,而它必定也會看得到疫症過後的晴天。這一關也不例外。要安然渡過這一關,我們必須要於危機當中團結起來,確保我們的城市採納一套治本的良方,透過加強跨種族的社區建設、療癒、組織、建立起由社區主導的危機處理服務、提供全面的受害人案件管理支援等,以解決深植社會的各種不公義。再者,我們必定要繼續在我們的社區裡投放資源,確保我們所有人能夠享有優質的學校、健康和安全的生活環境,以及把握機會為自己和家人創造美好的生活,好讓每個人都能呼吸和一展所長。 

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關於華人進步會

創立於1972年,華人進步會是一個致力教育和組織三藩市華裔工薪移民,並為其賦權的社區組織。本會旨在聯合其他受壓逼的社區一起建立集體力量,藉此要求所有民眾均享有較好的生活、工作條件和正義。與其他有色人種的工薪一族同舟共濟乃華人進步會創立之時的基石,當中和黑人社區的結盟尤其關鍵。他們的領導除了為亞裔美國人賦權外,亦帶來了很多讓我們受益至今的勝利。