PRESS RELEASE
AAPCHO Stands in Solidarity with Black Community, Calls for Concrete Actions to Address Racism as Public Health Crises
June 1, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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WASHINGTON – The tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery in recent weeks have further exposed deep-seated systemic racism and injustice toward Black Americans and other communities of color in U.S. society. As we grapple with the grim reality that this moment comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people in our country, disproportionately from Black and other communities of color, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) stands firmly with those fighting for justice and equity. We recognize that the long history of racism and violence against the Black community and other people of color drives inequities in health care and other areas of public health and safety.
Jeffrey Caballero, executive director of AAPCHO, today released the following statement calling for solidarity and concrete actions to bring real change and promote justice and equity:
“We stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters and condemn the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others due to deeply embedded systemic inequities, including our broken criminal justice and health care systems. As an organization representing health centers that serve communities regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, country of origin, sex, gender, age, disability, or the color one’s skin—it is past time that our leaders advance meaningful legislation and policy changes that will save the lives of countless Black people and other communities of color.
We also call on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and all communities to stand with the Black community to dismantle racism and work together toward a more equitable and just society.
Racism is a public health and social justice issue that we all must expose and fight. Black lives matter. We acknowledge and claim space for our communities to feel our collective grief and anger—and will channel our energy into collective action to ensure that all individuals and communities can thrive.”
About AAPCHO
AAPCHO is a national association of community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For more information on AAPCHO, please visit www.aapcho.org.
Contact
Beverly Quintana, (510) 500-5944, bquintana@aapcho.org