JPANet: Help stop the spread of hate.

The intolerable racist and xenophobic attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at all levels of society and from all levels of government officials need to end now. Scapegoating and blaming Asian Americans for Coronavirus (COVID-19) is deeply immoral, rooted in bad science, and extremely harmful to Asian Americans and society as a whole. The rise in attacks is horrific and must be countered with swift action.  And you can play a role in that. Here are some ways you can act right now to demand that your leaders vigorously denounce racism and racist attacks on our Asian American and Pacific Islander neighbors. 

1. Join with the National Officers of the UCC signing onto a letter denouncing false information that leads to xenophobia and racist actions taken around the country. While others respond with fear and hate, as Christians we are called to respond in love. We remember that the bible teaches us, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”
2. Urge your elected Members of Congress to stop the spread of xenophobia and to condemn in strong language racist attacks. Ask them also to support a resolution intro introduced by Rep. U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (NY) that calls on Congress to denounce anti-Asian sentiment in all forms, and for all elected officials to do the same. The resolution also calls for a coordinated Federal response to these hate crimes and to actively combat misinformation.
3. Call on the President to apologize for his deliberate racist comments and fear mongering, and demand that the White House use clear science about COVID-19 that doesn’t rely on racism or xenophobic scapegoating.
4. Speak out in your community when you see or hear people spreading false information share that it is critical in this time we rely only on verifiable and confirmed information relating to the spread of COVID-19. False information about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders isn’t in the interest of anyone and leads to these dangerous attacks.
5. Demand that your local and state elected officials also use careful language, accurate information, do not share or spread false and misleading rumors, and denounce in unequivocal language racism and xenophobic actions directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

As a faith community we are compelled to speak out against false information, violent rhetoric, racist attacks and xenophobia. The act of loving one another is done by, at every turn countering and resisting system racism in all forms. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are on the front lines of combatting COVID-19, they’re teachers and grocery clerks, medical professionals and people who live and serve in all of our communities and congregations. The deliberate actions of elected officials and some in the news-media to scapegoat, blame, demean and deride them as harbingers of the virus are entirely without merit, immoral and dangerous. Our actions now, in this crisis, show us who we really are. Just as you are doing your part to flatten the curve, practice safe hygiene, and protect those who are vulnerable among us, you can also make sure that our friends and neighbors are protected from harassing and violent language, physical attacks, and loss of business.