The following statement can be attributed to Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Washington, DC, March 17, 2021—The murder of eight people, including six Asian women, in an Atlanta crime spree yesterday appears to be the latest in a despicable series of violent and deadly acts against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) abhors racism, bigotry, and violence in any form and recognizes how white supremacy, which is inextricably linked to poverty, is used to suppress Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. We stand in solidarity with AAPI communities in condemning hate crimes and violence, which have been a constant in this country for centuries. While AAPI communities have long been subjected to xenophobia, the politically motivated rhetoric spawned in large part by the pandemic has both made this underlying hate more visible to the broader public and empowered people to feel justified in expressing such hatred toward AAPI communities.

In this continued series of anti-AAPI violence, CLASP recommits to uplifting the voices of AAPIs living in poverty and continuing to push for equitable policy solutions that center racial equity for all communities of color. We also reaffirm our commitment to fostering partnerships and building connections with advocates and activists in the fight against all racism and bigotry toward AAPI communities and all communities of color. Additionally, we commit to naming specific impacts of these acts and to collaborating in identifying policies that eradicate xenophobia and all forms of racism.

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