Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC) of WA

HAPPENING WEDNESDAY: With the primary election deadline Tuesday, August 2, please join us for the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC) of WA10th Annual A&NH/PI Candidate Forum this Wednesday, July 20 from 5-7pm. This is a great opportunity to hear from the candidates running for office and learn how they will impact Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities.

The virtual forum will feature candidates on the ballot this primary election, specifically, candidates from the 9th Congressional District and 37th Legislative District. We'll be asking the candidates questions that emphasize and show how they intend to collaborate with and support underrepresented communities such as Asians, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other marginalized groups.

Register here to participate. A Zoom link will be emailed to you to watch the forum: www.bit.ly/anhpiforum.

We are heartbroken and outraged by the murder of eight people – 6 of them women of Asian descent – in the shooting spree in Georgia. We mourn with the families of the victims, and we stand with the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities in Georgia.

We must acknowledge the role of racism, classism, and racialized misogyny in the senseless violence committed against the six Asian women who lost their lives. It was not only a hate crime; it was an act of terror. White supremacy is the root of these acts of violence.

Asian American communities across the nation are grief-stricken, anxious, fearful and angry. We have seen the rise of anti-Asian violence and racism for over a year now. The Stop AAPI Hate coalition reported over 3,700 hate incidents between March 2020 and February 2021. We have also seen the escalation of hate crimes and racism against Asian across the State of Washington. We are concerned about the safety of ourselves and our loved ones.

We need to recognize that anti-Asian racism and violence is not a new phenomenon. Anti-Asian violence is interwoven in the history of Asian Americans in the United States. Early Asian immigrants were not only targets of violence by individuals, but systematic, mass violence such as the Chinese Massacre of 1871. Anti-Japanese sentiments of 1980s led to the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American in Detriot, Michigan. After 9/11, people of South Asian descent became the target of hate crimes. The COVID pandemic has only pulled the cover that hid the anti-Asian racism already deeply ingrained in the U.S. society.

In this time, we call for solidarity with other communities of color. White supremacy devalues the lives of our BIPOC community – it has manifested in the racial disparities in the COVID pandemic over the past year and police brutality against BIPOC folks, specifically the Black community, without consequence. We recognize that the racism we experience is intertwined, and all of it is due to the common issue of white supremacy and white nationalism. We must fight against this violence, and call out the strategy of those in power who would like to see our communities turn against each other instead of moving forward together. We are much more powerful when we band together than when we are torn apart, and the support we have seen over the past 48 hours has shown a powerful future of what coalition and solidarity can and should look like.

We call for action from elected officials at the local, state and federal levels. Beyond publicly speaking up against anti-Asian racism, we ask our elected leaders to invest in community-based solutions that address the root cause of hate and violence. This includes funding, investment, and prioritization of 1) in-language and culturally responsive resources, crisis intervention support, and mental health services for our communities who have experienced harm 2) programs that support all immigrants and refugees including but not limited to safety net programs, unemployment benefits, LEP pathways, naturalization services, and more 3) ethnic studies curriculum, including Asian and Pacific Islander history, in our K-12 public schools and universities and 4) genuine and sustained engagement of our communities in policy discussions.

We ask that you join us in solidarity to support our communities and combat hate and white supremacy.

As moments of appreciation are shared with friends and family - today APIC expresses our deepest gratitude to a beloved community leader, Tony Lee. We are eternally grateful for the tireless work that Tony put into creating a more just world and we will miss him dearly.

Honoring the life and legacy of Tony Lee, Social Justice Champion and APIC Co-Founder Social justice champion, Tony Lee, passed away after many years battling ALS. Tony was a fierce advocate who brought people together to make lasting change. He built partnerships, founded coalitions, and left a long legacy of policy work that will empower our communities for decades to come. Tony di...

To our Washington state Asian Pacific Americans and allies! The past few months have been hard and unprecedented for our community. As a result, and in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, APA leaders from across the country are presenting a series of online town halls, to discuss where we are, where we’ve been, and where we need to go in the coming days and years.

Join for one or all town halls - RSVP now at riseapa.org!

Help ensure everyone feels seeking justice and using our courts! Tell your lawmakers to *SUPPORT HB 2567* using this link provided by our friends at ACLU of Washington.

Stop Immigration Arrests at Courthouses . Demand action now. Over the past two years, there have been more than 200 documented civil arrests at courthouses in over 18 counties across Washington. People are forced to risk arrest and deportation when coming to court, simply because of where they were born. Demand protection for our courthouses. Urge your legisl...

A temporary victory for immigrant communities!

A panel of federal judges in New York has denied the Trump administration’s request to immediately implement changes to "public charge" while a lawsuit over the plan plays out in court. These proposed changes would cut back benefits for immigrants and obstruct the path towards legal immigration.

Appeals court refuses to lift injunction on immigrant 'public charge' rule A panel of federal judges in New York on Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to begin a program aimed at cutting back benefits for immigrants while a lawsuit over the plan plays out in court.