PAAIA Joins Letter to Administration Denouncing Hate Crimes against Asian Americans in the Wake of COVID-19

Washington, DC – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) joined OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates and a coalition of 187 other organizations in a letter to President Trump, Attorney General William Barr, and FBI Director Christopher Wray regarding the deeply troubling rise in bias-related events targeting individuals of Asian descent across the United States. We stand with our Asian American partners in support and solidarity against racism and xenophobia.

The letter asks the administration to recognize and denounce the rise in attacks against the Asian American community in the wake of COVID-19. Specifically, the letter asks for the creation of a task force devoted to investigating and protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, among other things. Additionally, the letter calls on the administration and elected officials to stop the usage of terms that harmfully associate COVID-19 with the Chinese ethnicity.

PAAIA stands in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Islander allies during this unprecedented time. As we deal with a crisis unlike any other that we have dealt with before, PAAIA urges each of us to remember to treat one another with respect, compassion, and kindness. Please consider reaching out to your community members and neighbors who may need your help during this uncertain time.

March 27, 2020