Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
Condemning anti-Asian hate and affirming commitment to Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander residents.
Body
WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been the targets of xenophobic and racist attacks and harassment, including physical and verbal attacks, due to systemic racism, misogyny, and hateful rhetoric; and
WHEREAS, on Tuesday March 16, 2021, a white man murdered eight people in Georgia, including six women of Asian descent; and
WHEREAS, the United States has a long history of scapegoating Asians and Asian Americans for the spread of illness, spurred on by a pernicious and violent "perpetual foreigner" stereotype that is still circulated in the US today; and
WHEREAS, Asian and Asian American women and femmes have long been targets of misogynist and racist stereotypes and violence in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Stop AAPI Hate has received 3,795 reports of hate-related incidents between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021 alone, more than two-thirds of which were submitted by women, and issued a statement in the wake of the shootings in Georgia calling for concrete action to protect Asian Americans; and
WHEREAS, in only 18 weeks between March and July of 2020, Stop AAPI Hate received 341 reports of anti-Asian discrimination directed at Asian American and Pacific Islander youth nationwide, including harassment at school and online, shunning, and physical assaults; and
WHEREAS, the Pew Research Center found that since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, 31% of Asian Americans reported experiencing slurs or jokes about their ethnicity, 26% express the fear that someone could physically attack them, and that 38% of Americans overall and 58% of Asian Americans believe that it is now more common for people to express racist or culturally insensitive views about Asian Americans than before the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, in an April 2020 poll, the Center for Public Integrity/Ipsos found that one third of people polled had witnessed someone blaming Asian Americans for the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, on January 26, 2021, President Biden released a Presidential Memorandum Condemning and Combatting Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, which acknowledges the role the federal government has played in perpetuating this violence and declaring that the Biden Administration denounces racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and directs federal agencies to use best practices when communicating about COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment relating to COVID-19 has been introduced in the US House of Representatives; and
WHEREAS, on March 18, 2021, City of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway issued a statement condemning anti-Asian violence and encouraged residents who have experienced discrimination or harassment to contact the City Department of Civil Rights; and
WHEREAS, on March 18, 2021, several hundred people marched to the Wisconsin State Capitol to demand an end to anti-Asian racism, sexism, stigma, discrimination, violence, and hate; and
WHEREAS, the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander population is comprised of a wide variety of cultures, values, languages, religions, and traditions; and
WHEREAS, Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islanders make up an important part of the Madison community, although they are often stereotyped and treated as perpetual foreigners; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison is committed to ending the spread of hate, bigotry, and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic as defined by law; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison is committed to interrupting stigma, misinformation, and violence against its residents; and
WHEREAS, Public Health of Madison and Dane County has provided resources on how to interrupt stigma and how to accurately discuss COVID-19 on their website;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Madison Mayor and Common Council:
• Vehemently condemns anti-Asian stigma, discrimination, racism, sexism, hate, and violence and stands in solidarity with its Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander community members.
• Affirms its ongoing commitment to cultivating an inclusive, safe, and just society and culture-including within City of Madison operations and institutions-that values the diversity of our community, and works to ensure equitable opportunities in all major facets of society, and celebrates both our individuality and commonality;
• Denounces anti-Asian extremism, white supremacy, racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, Islamophobia, anti-LGBTQ+ hate, ableism, and all hateful speech and bias-motivated violent actions in our community;
• Commits to fostering an environment within City of Madison operations and institutions that does not tolerate anti-Asian extremist, white supremacist, racist, anti-Semitic, misogynist, Islamophobic, anti-LGBTQ+, ableist, and other hateful speech and actions;
• Urges residents to join us by adopting these values in their own lives, calling attention to these harms, and denouncing hate and extremism to help keep us all safe; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the City Clerk shall send copies of this resolution to Governor Evers and each Member of our United States Congressional Delegation.
Sources:
<https://www.adl.org/blog/reports-of-anti-asian-assaults-harassment-and-hate-crimes-rise-as-coronavirus-spreads>; <https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978742409/what-we-know-about-the-victims-of-the-atlanta-area-shootings>; <https://secureservercdn.net/104.238.69.231/a1w.90d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210312-Stop-AAPI-Hate-National-Report-.pdf>; <https://secureservercdn.net/104.238.69.231/a1w.90d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Press-release-Statement-on-the-Shooting-of-Multiple-Asian-American-Women-in-Atlanta-1.pdf>; <https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-10239-004>; <https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/18/majorities-of-americans-see-at-least-some-discrimination-against-black-hispanic-and-asian-people-in-the-u-s/>; <https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/07/01/many-black-and-asian-americans-say-they-have-experienced-discrimination-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak/>; <https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/center-for-public-integrity-poll-2020>; <http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/Stop-AAPI-Hate-Youth-Report-9.14.20.pdf>; <https://meng.house.gov/sites/meng.house.gov/files/Meng%20Resolution_1.pdf>; <https://wkow.com/2021/03/18/madison-mayor-speaks-out-against-anti-asian-violence/>; <https://www.wpr.org/asian-americans-unite-speak-out-against-violence-wake-georgia-spa-killings>; https://www.api-gbv.org/resources/census-data-api-identities/#:~:text=Chinese%20Americans%20continue%20to%20be,4.2%20million%20nationwide%20in%202012 <https://www.api-gbv.org/resources/census-data-api-identities/>; <https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/22/key-facts-about-asian-origin-groups-in-the-u-s/>; <https://www.publichealthmdc.com/documents/Anti-Stigma%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf>; <https://publichealthmdc.com/documents/anti-stigma_fact_sheet.pdf>; <https://www.adl.org/resources/reports/when-women-are-the-enemy-the-intersection-of-misogyny-and-white-supremacy>; <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/us/racism-sexism-atlanta-spa-shooting.html>; statement from Stop AAPI Hate regarding the naming of Atlanta shooting victims: <https://www.instagram.com/stopaapihate/>