EHTP Statement on Violence Against AAPI Communities
East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP) stands in solidarity with our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, families, staff, and community. Recent incidents of violence against AAPI elders bring to light, in horrifyingly graphic detail, the work that remains to combat racist acts against Asian communities. These attacks may be on the rise, but they are certainly not new—and are a direct result of white supremacist constructs that oppress AAPI individuals, as well as the broader BIPOC community.
Rooted in our abolitionist values and 63-year history, EHTP believes in a community-centered approach to address the harm done and healing needed—one that uses alternatives to legal and institutional interventions, which perpetuate ineffective punitive structures that value oppression over healing.
Now is the time to reach out and listen to members of the AAPI community, provide comfort and support, and demand change. We will be doing so, by holding space through community circles and school meetings to center the voices of our AAPI students, families, and staff in the weeks to come. Additionally, EHTP will host a webinar next month that intentionally explores antiracism work across the color line in America (details forthcoming).
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More resources:
Anti-Racism Daily: Address Anti-Asian Hate Crimes
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism