ILF Condemn the Mass Shooting in Georgia and the Ongoing Violence and Attacks Against the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community

Washington, D.C. – The recent acts of violence and hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) has traumatized many AAPI families and caused much fear and concern amongst the AAPI community. According to Stop AAPI Hate, since March 2020 they have received over 2,800 incident reports of hate against Asian Americans from 47 states and the District of Columbia. Incidents include verbal harassment, physical assault, vandalism, and workplace discrimination.

Since the surge of COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, there have been mounting reports of xenophobic and racist incidents targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. A string of recent violent and deadly attacks on elderly Asian Americans has led to a much-heightened level of fear and concern.

The International Leadership Foundation is deeply disturbed with this trend and condemns these acts of hate. Furthermore, ILF encourages all our members to report all incidents of discrimination and hate crimes to local law enforcement, the FBI, and to the following AAPI organizations:

  1. Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
  2. Report A Hate Incident (OCA): https://www.ocanational.org/aapi-hate-incident-form
  3. Stand Against Hatred (AAJC): https://www.standagainsthatred.org/

“Throughout this pandemic, we have seen a spike in anti-AAPI bias and hate crimes against members of the Asian-American Pacific Islander community, driven by xenophobia and misinformation. Racism of any kind is unacceptable and does not belong anywhere in our country. The International Leadership Foundation is committed to working with all stakeholders, including federal, state, and local officials, to raise awareness and proactively put a stop to these acts of violence,” said Linh Hoang, Executive Director of ILF.

“We are outraged by the recent increase in anti-AAPI bias and hate crimes. These acts of violence affect all of us and all of our communities, which is why we are committed to fighting against such racism and standing up for our community at-large,” said Dr. Paul Hsu, Chairman of ILF, “We have conquered tough challenges before, and by working together we will overcome this.”

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About ILF – International Leadership Foundation (ILF) is a non-profit organization that promotes civic engagement, leadership, empowerment, and economic prosperity of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to enhance the representation of diversity in our country. The mission of ILF is to cultivate civic-minded future AAPI leaders in public service. Founded in 2000, ILF has provided scholarships and educational programs with over 10,000 AAPI students.