Resolution 2021-04: Condemning Anti-Asian American & Pacific Islander Hate & Racism

WHEREAS, the DPO’s Platform, Article 10 states, “We believe in the right of all to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, class, residency status, disability, or other identifying qualities. We reject and condemn all racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, white supremacist, white nationalist, and fascist ideologies, organizations, and movements,” and

WHEREAS, the DPO’s Platform Article 7 states, “We value our nation’s diversity and recognize the economic, social, and cultural contributions immigrants make to our society,” and

WHEREAS, political actors have pitted minority groups like  immigrants, including Asian American, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, the Black Community, and poor and working-class Whites against each other in order to gain and maintain power, and

WHEREAS, by conjuring xenophobic threats such as “the yellow peril” to stoke fear and revulsion among White majorities, Asian American and Pacific Islander immigrants have historically been relegated to “perpetual foreigner” status and been deprived of equal standing in the law and in society.  These tactics have laid the foundation for violence against perceived scapegoats, most recently, Americans of Asian descent, and

WHEREAS,  the United States passed federal orders targeting immigrants of Asian descent in order to capitalize on xenophobic zeal such as the Chinese exclusion Act of 1882, the Johnson-Reed Act (The Immigration Act) of 1924 completely excluding immigrants from Asia, the Executive Order 9066 that forced Japanese-Americans into internment camps in 1942,  and nuclear weapons testing that exiled Pacific Islanders from their land and subsequently causing environmental and health defects to island residents (1946-1962), and

WHEREAS, the “model minority” myth, coined in 1966, has wedged the Asian American and Pacific Islander community against other communities of color in order to maintain white supremacy and distort Asian Americans’ silence into tacit support of suppression of other minorities, and

WHEREAS, racist rhetoric from former President Trump, including utilizing monikers such as “The China virus” and “Kung Flu,” has incited lethal violence against people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, and

WHEREAS, subsequently, more than 3,800 anti-Asian violence incidents related to COVID-19 were reported across the U.S. within the last year, and

WHEREAS, 81.5% of Asian-American and Pacific Islander youth reported being bullied or harassed in 2020, and

WHEREAS, former President Trump had doubled-down and denied that his rhetoric was racist towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, and

WHEREAS, President Biden issued a memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States in January 2021, and

WHEREAS, vandalism in the East Portland Jade District targeted against family-owned Asian American businesses has had a devastating impact and portends increasing violence.

WHEREAS, Oregon history includes the Chinese massacre at Hells Canyon in 1887 which includes the murder of as many as 34 Chinese miners with no consequences to the murderers.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. The DPO condemns the increasing violence, bigotry, and hate towards Asian Americans and the Asian Immigrant communities across the nation and in Oregon.

Section 2. The DPO demands that the Biden administration go beyond its recent memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States and immediately re-establish the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI).

Section 3. The DPO demands that the Biden administration require all federal agencies to investigate and report on their policies and actions to address and combat bias crimes against minority and immigrant communities of Asian descent.

Section 4. The DPO believes that  K-12 curriculum and legislative policy should include the accurate history of Asian Americans in the U.S. that entails the primary and historical recounts from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Section 5. The DPO encourages all elected officials and candidates for public office to propose, develop and implement policies that mitigate incidents of bias and hate crime.

Resolution submitted by Chrissy Erguiza, Jessica Irvine, Sushmita Poddar, Sushruta Chandramouli, Raman Velji, and Peter Leung of the DPO Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus.

ADOPTED by the Democratic Party of Oregon on March 20th, 2021.