The Ackerman Institute for the Family is outraged and heartbroken at the increasing hate targeting Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander communities. We stand together with our friends in grief and in solidarity. Racially motivated hateful rhetoric and hate-based crimes of Asians and Asian American Pacific Islanders is a long-standing issue in the U.S. Incidents have been on the rise, given some political leaders’ roles in promoting xenophobic rants by referencing the origin of COVID-19. Six Asian women lost their lives yesterday due to a cycle of violence which is fueled by white supremacy, systemic racism, and misogyny. We hold them, their families, and their communities in our hearts. This should never have happened.
As therapists, we are ready to offer care and support to those in grief and distress over these tragedies.
Committed to social justice, we stand in solidarity with the Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander communities at the Institute and the world over. As family therapists, our ethics demand that we care about all people, all families, and act towards social justice. We must speak and act within our own spheres of influence, especially those of us who sit with white privilege. We simply cannot be silent.