APABA-PA Stands in Solidarity with the Black Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Djung Tran, [email protected]

June 5, 2020  —  The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor reveal yet again what the Black community knows too well:  that they are not safe from racism and police brutality.  These names, and too many others, inform us that being Black in America means not only experiencing discrimination in policing, housing, education, employment, career opportunities, and healthcare, but that simply being Black can be a death sentence.

The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania vows to confront and reject anti-Black racism and racism in all its forms.  The confrontation starts within ourselves.  We recognize that an Asian Pacific American (APA) police officer was one of the four officers involved in George Floyd’s death.  We recognize the recent destruction of and damage to APA businesses in the midst of this civil unrest, and the harm this has caused to many in our community.  We recognize that our community has long benefited from the Civil Rights movement led by the Black community, and that the APA community has at times been stereotyped as a “model minority” to pit us against other communities of color, particularly the Black community.  We reject this divisive and false trope, a framework that disregards the diversity of experiences within the APA community and that prevents us from uniting to work together towards common goals.  We challenge the APA community to examine and confront our own anti-Black biases, to listen to and learn from Black leaders fighting for change, and to take action to support reforms.

We demand that Black lives be valued and held in equal esteem to all others.  We call on our members and our community to use our power to vote and to lobby legislators and law enforcement leaders to end police brutality and systemic racism, including by promoting a culture of community policing rather than the increasing militarization of police forces; by establishing a uniform, state-wide policy regarding police use of force; and by increasing transparency and accountability in the aftermath of use of force incidents.

We call on all lawyers to provide pro bono service to help end anti-Black racism, as guided by organizations such as the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia and the Homer S. Brown Division of the Allegheny County Bar Association.  We urge our communities to volunteer or donate to local organizations working towards racial and economic justice, and have provided a suggested list of organizations on our website.

We stand in solidarity with the Black community to honor the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many others whose lives have been unjustly taken.  May their names mark a new path forward.

Founded in 1984, APABA-PA represents the interests of the APA law students, lawyers, and judges and the APA community across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by supporting the advancement of APA attorneys and promoting justice, equity, and legal access, especially for all APA communities.