Resolution EC18to22MB 025

Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting virtually on April 16, 2021, mourns the lives lost in senseless acts of violence against those of Asian descent and Pacific Islanders and stands in support of the victims of such violence and their families. We are both grieved and outraged that members of our Asian community wake every morning fearing acts of violence and have been the scapegoats for this pandemic; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church affirms the March 23rd Statement from the Deputies of Color Steering Committee (in Explanation) about the murders in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, and the rise in hate crimes (see General Convention Resolution: 2000-C029) against people of Asian descent, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and be it further

Resolved, That the Executive Council commends the United Nations Secretary-General for highlighting the global rise in violence against people of Asian descent, including deadly attacks, harassment, bullying, discrimination, misogyny, and incitement to hatred in media and social media platforms in the United States and globally; and be it further

Resolved, That we deplore this historical pattern of scapegoating (see General Convention Resolution: 2018-A230) and weaponizing words for political purposes, exacerbating systemic racism and fear against people of color, resulting in the rise in hate crimes targeting women and the elderly in the midst of a global pandemic; and be it further

Resolved, That in order for the Executive Council to call upon the churchwide community to speak out, teach and be the prophetic voice, it accepts the challenge to commit greater time for exploring further and more intentionally its members’ engagement with systemic racism; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge the clergy and laity of The Episcopal Church to offer a prophetic response to these deaths and acts of injustice by committing to the ongoing, patient, determined, faithful, long-term ministry of anti-racism work; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church build on the framework of Becoming Beloved Community, created in response to General Convention Resolution 2015-C019 Establish Response to Systemic Racial Injustice, to enhance the capacity of the Church to work in communities to organize, advocate, and dismantle systems, policies and practices that reinforce racialized violence and vigilante acts and perpetuate the sin of racism; and be it further

Resolved, That we provide the necessary resources and tools for our dioceses, congregations, clergy, lay leaders, and Anglican Partnerships to work towards the Beloved Community.

On April 9, 2020 at the start of the pandemic, the PBS News Hour Report featured a segment by Adrian De Leon on “The Long History of Racism Against Asian Americans in the U.S.”  Starting with the Page Act (1875), the United States has long considered Asian Americans as a threat and created a “yellow peril” or unclean and unfit for citizenship in America policy.   In the late 19th century, white nativists spread xenophobic propaganda about Chinese uncleanliness in San Francisco. This fueled the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), the first law that barred immigration solely based on race.  Early in the 20th century, the Philippines was a formal colony of the U.S.  American officials denigrated Filipinos for their supposedly unclean and uncivilized bodies during a time of tropical diseases. Colonial officers and doctors coupled the American officials justified continued colonial rule in the islands.  On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 to incarcerate people under suspicion as enemies to internment camps away from coastal communities. While the order also affected German and Italian-Americans on the East Coast, the vast majority of those incarcerated in 1942 were of Japanese descent. Many of them were naturalized citizens, second- and third-generations Americans.  In the 21st century, even the most “multicultural” North American cities, like Toronto, Canada are hot beds for virulent racism.  During the 2003 SARS outbreak, Toronto saw a rise of anti-Asian racism much like that of today. While Chinese and Filipina health care workers were publicly celebrated for their work in hospital and other health facilities, these women found themselves fearing for their lives on their way home.  No expression of patriotism – not even being front line workers in a pandemic – makes Asian migrants immune to racism.

During a PBS NewsHour interview, AAPI activist Helen Zia shared that part of the problem is the invisibility of Asian American communities and lack of understanding of racism they have faced. “It’s part of the systemic racism of depriving all Americans – including Asian Americans - of our own history” she said.  “I call it missing in history”.  Zia points to problematic and popular depictions of people of Asian descent.  Many are cartoon-like and portrayed as subhuman, animalistic or enemy invaders.  The absence of accurate knowledge of AAPI history, Zia said, keeps people fighting with each other instead of coming together to ensure that no one is demeaned or attacked.

Based on the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University - San Bernardino report, Anti-Asian Hate Crimes surged 145% from 2019 to 2020, while overall hate crime dropped 6% during the same period. The data covered 16 cities.  The top six cities represent 73% of the Anti-Asian Hate Crimes in 2020 were:  1) New York City, 2) Los Angeles, 3) Boston, 4) Seattle, 5) San Jose, and 6) San Francisco.  New York City had the largest increase at 833% followed by San Jose - 150%, Boston – 133%, Los Angeles – 114%, San Francisco – 50%, and Seattle – 33%.  (See the attached table & graphs. This report does not show the overall picture of hate crime happening across the country, since the data cited by the research was limited to crimes reported to local police departments.)

According to a March 18, 2021 NBC News feature, Women have reported twice as many anti-Asian hate incidents as men.  Stop AAPI Hate is a reporting forum and reveals that nearly 3,800 incidents over the course of the past year during the pandemic. This is significantly higher than the 2,600 hate crimes nationwide over the span of five months. Women made up 68% compared to men at 29% of the respondents (this non-profit does not report incidents to police).  San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Professor Russell Jeung is the forum founder and shared that coalescence of racism and sexism, including the stereotype that Asian women are meek and subservient, likely factors into this disparity.  “There is an intersectional dynamic going on that others perceive Asians and women, and Asian women are easier targets”.   Professor Jeung also noticed that this has been a consistent pattern where bullies attack who they think are vulnerable and see this in the elderly and youth populations. Detailing Stop AAPI Hate’s National Report:  The Types of Discrimination have been Verbal Harassment (68.1%), Shunning (20.5%), Physical Assault (11.1%), Civil Rights Violations (8.5%), and Online Harassment (6.8%).  While the National Trends reflect that Women have reported 2.3 times more hate incidents than Men; Youth (17 yrs. & under) report 12.6% and Seniors (60 yrs. & older) report 6.2% of the total incidents; the largest ethnic group experiencing hate are Chinese (42.2%) followed by Koreans (14.8%), Vietnamese (8.5%), and Filipinos (7.9%); the discrimination have taken place in businesses (35.4%), public streets (25.3%), public parks (9.8%), and online (10.8%); and incidents have been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

On March 22, 2021, the United Nations News article reported that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement expressing his profound concern over the rise in violence against Asians, and people of Asian descent, during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.  As the first outbreak of the pandemic being recorded in China, the spike in anti-Asian hate crimes surfaced.  The world witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying, workplace discrimination, incitement to hatred in media and social media platforms, and incendiary language by world leaders.  In some countries, Asian women have been targeted for attack including misogyny to the mix of hatred. “Thousands of incidents across the past year have perpetuated a centuries-long history of intolerance, stereotyping, scapegoating, exploitation and abuse”.   

Resource Documents

Fact Sheet: Anti-Asian Prejudice March 2021 by Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism (28 pages)

Stop AAPI Hate National Report from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021 by Russell Jeung, Ph.D., Aggie Yellow Horse, Ph.D., Tara Popovic, and Richard Lim (11 pages)

United Nations News article dated March 22, 2021 – “UN chief ‘profoundly concerned’ over rise in violence against Asians”

PBS NewsHour Report - “The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S.”  Featured an article by Adrian De Leon on April 9, 2020 in The Conversation.

PBS NewsHour Interview - “Most Americans lack knowledge of historic racism against Asian Americans” an interview with Helen Zia, AAPI activist and author of “Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People” on March 4, 2021

A Statement from the Deputies of Color of the General Convention

March 23, 2021

The Deputies of Color of the General Convention (Asian Caucus, Black Caucus, Indigenous Caucus, and Latinx Caucus) express deep concern and sadness for the increased racial violence against the Asian and Pacific Islander population. The murders in Georgia on Tuesday, March16, 2021 reflect the American reality of a society deeply ingrained with racism, white supremacy, and sexism.

We mourn the lives lost and stand with the victims and families. We are hurt that members of our Asian community wake every morning fearing acts of violence and have been the scapegoats for this pandemic. We lament the complicity of silence and we express our gratitude for many who stand in solidarity with the Asians and Pacific Islanders during this troubling time.

It is becoming far too common for people acting through social media or in their day-to-day encounters to encourage such hatred. What is happening and the normalization of violence in any form are not acceptable and need to stop. The destructive power of words has caused lives to be lost. For too many years, ignorance and hate have been weaponized against people of color. This hatred and ignorance are another virus amongst us. 

We call on all people across The Church to use their voice and power to stop these acts of hatred and racial violence immediately. We call on all leaders to set an example in their words, their deeds, and all forms of communication to oppose such hatred instead of encouraging it. We cannot see members of our community as “others” but as people we are in communion with.

President Biden in his recent address on Asian discrimination stated, “this has to change, because our silence is complicity. We have to speak out. We have to act." We echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends”. We appreciate and affirm Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s message calling for the followers of Jesus of Nazareth to “stand up, speak up, and show up when hatred or bigotry is directed at any child of God.” Today, we stand in solidarity with our Asian siblings, and we are committed to reach out to them, offering kindness and love, so that we can become The Beloved Community. Acts of racial hatred need to end NOW.

Submitted by the Deputies of Color Steering Committee for the 80th General Convention:

 Asian Caucus

Ryan Kusumoto, co-chair Diocese of Hawaii

Alan Murray, co-chair Diocese of Oregon

Canon Barbara Okamoto Bach, secretary Diocese of New Jersey

Warren Wong Diocese of California

Black Caucus

The Hon. Rose Sconiers, chair Diocese of Western New York

Louis Glosson, vice chair Diocese of San Diego

Krisita Jackson, secretary Diocese Central Florida

Dianne Audrick Smith Diocese of Ohio

Joe McDaniel, Jr. Diocese of Central Gulf Coast

Indigenous Caucus

The Rev. Br. Simeon Powell, CG co-chair Diocese of N. California

Minnie Steele, co-chair Diocese of Minnesota

The Rev. Michael Sells, secretary Navajoland Area Mission

The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton Diocese of Olympia

Latinx Caucus

Wendy Cañas, co-chair Diocese of New York

The Rev. Nancy Frausto, co-chair Diocese of Los Angeles

The Rev. Jose Rodriguez, secretary Diocese of Central Florida

The Rev. Daniel Vélez-Rivera Diocese of Virginia