Sean Perryman Highlights Solutions to Discrimination and Violence Against AAPI Communities

From the Sean Perryman for Lt. Governor campaign:

Sean Perryman Highlights Solutions to Discrimination and Violence Against AAPI Communities

FAIRFAX, VA – In the wake of last week’s attack by an armed white man that took the lives of eight people in the Atlanta metro area, candidate for Lt. Governor Sean Perryman highlighted solutions to discrimination and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on Monday. Six Asian American women were killed in the attacks, which explicitly targeted Asian businesses and communities. We honor the names of those who were murdered at the hands of white extremism: Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, 33; Hyun J. Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Soon C. Park, 74; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Yong A. Yue, 63.

Over the past year, the Asian-American community has been under attack. Emboldened by xenophobic rhetoric from the Trump administration, white supremacists have committed nearly 3,800 hate incidents against Asian communities since last March.

“These incidents aren’t just numbers on a page,” said Perryman. “They are an 84 year-old grandfather in San Francisco, a 21 year-old college student in Salem, a 44 year-old woman in Flushing, and countless other Asian-Americans who have faced verbal harassment, physical violence, and civil rights violations.

“The Atlanta attack was not a ‘lone wolf incident’, nor was it the result of ‘a very bad day.’ It was a reflection of the deeply-rooted racism and misogyny that continues to define America. National crises have often been used to rationalize hate against marginalized communities. Just as the 9/11 attacks caused an increase in hate crimes against South Asian, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and Sikh communities, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a surge in hate crimes against Asian people, especially East Asian people.”

“We may continue to see this harassment and violence until we take real action to address hatred in our country. That action needs to acknowledge how over-policing and criminalization harm people of color and reproduce the same racism that leads to harassment and violence. After taking time over the past few days to listen to harmed communities, I am putting forward ideas that can make a tangible difference.”

The Perryman campaign pledges to the following agenda to empower AAPI Virginians:

• Respect the dignity of all people in Virginia, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and income by condemning and disavowing bigoted statements from any public officials and media figures.
• Disarm white supremacists and misogynists by prohibiting convicted domestic abusers and perpetrators of hate crimes from purchasing firearms, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and creating waiting periods for gun purchases that can curb impulsive acquisition of murder weapons.
• Improve hate-crime reporting by promoting community-based data collection.
• Diversify school curricula to incorporate Asian-American contributions and accurately represent America’s long history of racism against Asians.
• Ensure Virginia’s government is accessible to Asian communities by making all government materials available in Asian languages.
• Decriminalize sex work and ensure sex workers are safe from violence.
• Encourage public schools to celebrate the religious diversity of their students by recognizing all religious holidays as valid school absences.
• End all cooperation between ICE and the Commonwealth to ensure our immigrant friends and neighbors are safe in their communities.
• End systems of mass surveillance that disproportionately target marginalized Americans and resist policies that rely on the tactics of mass incarceration to combat hate.

“This fight doesn’t end with inclusive legislation. You will never be able to entirely legislate anti-racism. This requires a cultural shift too,” continued Perryman. “At Fairfax NAACP, we built solidarity by showing up for each other. Showing up for Black communities against police violence. Showing up for Latino communities in the face of a racist immigration system. Showing up for LGBTQ+ Virginians against homophobia and transphobia. We must show up for our AAPI friends, now and always.”

Sean Perryman is President Emeritus of the Fairfax County Chapter of the NAACP, a technology public policy advocate, attorney, and former congressional investigator. If elected he would become one of the youngest Lt. Governors in Virginia history.

To learn more visit: perrymanforvirginia.com