Press Release
March 18, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stefanie Lao,
[email protected] | 424.282.0922
OAKLAND, CA – The California Environmental Voters released the following statement in response to the recent murder of Asian Americans in Georgia and the overall increase of hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
Statement from the California Environmental Voters:
“In light of the recent shooting in Georgia, EnviroVoters stands with the AAPI community and the victims’ families as they mourn this tragedy.
Make no mistake that this was an act of white terrorism fueled by the language government officials used in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Harmful rhetoric that wrongly blamed the AAPI community for the pandemic emboldened white supremacist beliefs. In turn, this fanned the flames of anti-Asian sentiment that is already deeply intertwined with our country’s history and systems of power.
That’s why we feel it’s important that we use our voices as an organization to strongly condemn the root of this hatred: white supremacy. For the last year, the AAPI community has seen an increase in receiving hate across the country. California is no exception; anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents have only skyrocketed across the state in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Orange County.
We must hold ourselves and our leaders accountable to ensure we are all doing the work towards eradicating racism and white supremacy from our society. To protect our planet, we must also protect the people who live in it, especially communities that are unfairly targeted by racist policies and attitudes. The impacts of the pandemic have further exposed how intricately tied the environmental justice movement is to racial justice issues.
We simply cannot fight for climate justice without fighting for racial justice. We will remain committed to using our platform to empower people of color and fight for the most vulnerable amongst us, and we call on our members to do their part to Stop Asian Hate.”
ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.
