PHILADELPHIA—"My heart is heavy in the wake of the murder of eight people in the mass shooting in Georgia. The loss of life, including the lives of six Asian women, is sickening and deeply tragic. On behalf of Philadelphia's educators, I send my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were murdered.
"On the morning of the shooting, the advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate released a horrifying, and yet unsurprising, report on more than 3,700 incidents of Anti-Asian American Pacific Islander hate incidents they received in the past year. It should be lost on none of us that Anti-Asian American Pacific Islander hate has been on the rise throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and has been spurred on and enabled by the previous occupant of the White House and far, far too many people in positions of power.
"I also must highlight the disproportionate impact that Anti-AAPI racism has had on AAPI women in particular.
"Our entire union is committed to fighting against racism of all forms. For far too long, white supremacy has been a devastating scourge on our society. Our AAPI members, students, parents, and community members deserve to live free of fear, free of racism, free of xenophobia, free of misogyny and free of violence.
"While my thoughts are with all those impacted by Anti-AAPI hate and violence, I know that is not enough. I remain committed, as does this entire union, to the fight for equity and for justice."
###