Haggerty Joins House in Passage of AAPI Community Support Resolution

SUPPORTING ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

WHEREAS, 23 MILLION ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ACCOUNT FOR 7 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND 7.5 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION IN MASSACHUSETTS, OVER 2 MILLION ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS NATIONALLY CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE COVID–19 PANDEMIC IN HEALTH CARE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRST RESPONDERS, TRANSPORTATION, SUPERMARKETS, AND OTHER SERVICE INDUSTRIES, AND APPROXIMATELY 2 MILLION ASIAN AMERICAN-OWNED BUSINESSES GENERATE OVER $700 BILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE AND EMPLOY MILLIONS OF WORKERS; AND

WHEREAS, ANTI-ASIAN LANGUAGE AND RHETORIC RELATED TO COVID–19, SUCH AS THE ‘‘CHINESE VIRUS’’ ‘‘WUHAN VIRUS’’, AND ‘‘KUNG-FLU’’ PERPETUATE STIGMA AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS LEADING TO VANDALISM AND ROBBERY OF ASIAN AMERICAN-OWNED OR OPERATED BUSINESSES, ANTI-ASIAN RHETORIC, SCAPEGOATING FOR THE COVID–19 PANDEMIC, HARASSMENT, ASSAULT, AND EVEN DEATH ESPECIALLY AMONGST THE ELDERLY AND WOMEN OF ASIAN DESCENT; AND

WHEREAS, ON MARCH 16, 2021, IN ATLANTA GEORGIA, A GUNMAN WENT ON A RAMPAGE AT THREE SPAS, KILLING EIGHT PEOPLE, SIX OF WHOM ARE WOMEN OF ASIAN DESCENT. THE VICTIMS WERE DELAINA ASHLEY YUAN (33), XIAOJIE TAN (49), DAOYOU FENG (44), SOON CHUNG PARK (74), HYUN JUNG GRANT (51), SUN CHA KIM (69), YONG AE YUE (63), AND PAUL ANDRE MICHELS (54), ALL OF WHOM WERE PART OF A COMMUNITY, FAMILY MEMBERS, AND LOVED ONES WHOSE LIVES WERE ENDED TOO SOON AT THE HANDS OF A MASS MURDERER;

WHEREAS, MORE THAN 1,900,000 ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER OLDER ADULTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE OLDER ADULTS WHO ARE RECENT IMMIGRANTS OR HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, MAY FACE EVEN GREATER CHALLENGES IN DEALING WITH THE COVID–19 PANDEMIC, INCLUDING DISCRIMINATION, ECONOMIC INSECURITY, AND LANGUAGE ISOLATION; AND

WHEREAS, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC) RECOGNIZE THAT NAMING COVID–19 BY A GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OR LINKING IT TO A SPECIFIC ETHNICITY PERPETUATES STIGMA, LEADING THE WHO TO ISSUE GUIDANCE CALLING ON MEDIA OUTLETS, SCIENTISTS, AND NATIONAL AUTHORITIES TO AVOID NAMING INFECTIOUS DISEASES FOR LOCATIONS TO AVOID STIGMATIZING GROUPS OF PEOPLE, AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF THE CDC, DIRECTOR OF THE CDC, AND SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS HAVE CONDEMNED THE MISNAMING OF THE VIRUS AND RESULTING RACISM; THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED THAT THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, CONDEMNS AND DENOUNCES ALL FORMS OF ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT AND VIOLENCE, CONDEMNS ALL FORMS OF RACISM, DISCRIMINATION, SCAPEGOATING, XENOPHOBIA, AND FURTHER COMMITS ITS SUPPORT TO THE ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, THAT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION BE FORWARDED BY THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO UNITED STATES PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., THE CONGRESSIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN CAUCUS, MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR CHARLES D. BAKER, MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY, GEORGIA GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP, GEORGIA ATTORNEY GENERAL CHRISTOPHER M. CARR, THE GEORGIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE GEORGIA STATE SENATE.