This statement reflects the opinion of the Global Health & Health Equity Domain Hub of MLA, and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the Medical Library Association (MLA).
The Global Health & Health Equity Domain Hub stands in solidarity with the Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in the United States. We recognize that our colleagues, friends and neighbors within the AAPI community experience similar and unique biases, violence and oppression as our Black, Latinx and Indigenous colleagues. The Global Health & Health Equity Hub affirms the March 3rd and March 17th statements from APALA regarding AAPI hate crimes.
As a Hub, we feel it is important to condemn the attack in Atlanta on March 16th for what it truly was – a hate crime born of white supremacy and misogyny. We also condemn the increased violence the AAPI community has been facing this past year. We value and thank APALA for their work in putting together a resource guide on how to take action against AAPI hate, #WeKeepUsSafe: APALA’s Resource Guide on Anti-Asian Violence, and work from organizations like Hollaback! which teach strategies for effectively intervening during harassment situations.
Health equity and true support for global health cannot be achieved if we do not continue to work to end systems of white supremacy in the United States.