In Solidarity with the Asian American Community

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We are shocked and saddened by the murder of eight people in the Atlanta area this week, six of whom were women of Asian descent. As an organization that is consciously and continuously deepening our commitment to health equity, we have to acknowledge the suffering and fear that this week’s fatal shootings created for Asian Americans in metro Atlanta and for this community throughout our nation. We mourn with them at this challenging time in our nation’s history.

Against this backdrop, we cannot ignore that these killings occurred at a time when anti-Asian discrimination and violent acts have been increasing as some wrongly look for someone to blame for the pandemic. We must also be aware of this as another example of the potent intersection of racism and misogyny that creates additional threats particularly for women of color.

Today, and every day, we stand in solidarity with the Asian American community here in Atlanta and across the country. Racism, in all of its forms, is a profound threat to the health and wellbeing of all of our communities, and we must seek to dismantle it wherever we find it. As we support an equitable response to and recovery from the pandemic, as well as work to address global health threats from Ebola to cardiovascular disease to cancer, we are focused on undoing the legacy of structural racism to prevent its pervasive public health effects.

As a nation and as organizations, we must continuously work to welcome, embrace and fortify individuals from every race and background. Doing so makes us stronger as a community, a nation and a people.