UPDATE — March 19, 2021 — Ecotrust calls for solidarity with and protection of Asian and Asian Pacific Islander communities, as hate crimes continue to harm and take lives across the country. The tragic murders in Atlanta, Ga. on Tuesday included six women of Asian descent. We recognize this painful loss, the challenges that our Asian and Pacific Islander colleagues and community members are navigating, and the need to address the underlying cases of racial and gender-based violence in the communities where we work. We call for supporting Asian Pacific Network of Oregon’s (APANO) response and collected resources here. 

PORTLAND, Ore. — February 4, 2021 — Ecotrust condemns the discrimination and hate crimes that have targeted Asian, Pacific Islander, and Muslim communities throughout the US after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Racism and discrimination against Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Muslims extends far back in the history of our region and our country, from national policies that discriminated against Chinese laborers in the 1800s, to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, to Oregon’s sundown towns that worked to exclude people of color through intimidation and violence, to increased anti-Muslim discrimination and violence following the September 11 attacks, to the inflammatory language and racist policies of the Trump administration. In the past year, the pandemic-related hate crimes targeting Asian, Pacific Islander, and Muslim communities in our home region show how much work we must still do to create safe and equitable communities for all.

Ecotrust stands with the leadership of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) in the condemnation of anti-Asian and anti-Muslim violence, in holding leaders who use discriminatory language accountable for their words, and in the prioritization of community-based solutions. We urge our community read APANO’s statement condemning pandemic-linked anti-Asian hate and bias incidents.