November 6, 2024
NATIONWIDE — Stop AAPI Hate issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 Presidential Election. The quote below can be attributed to Cynthia Choi, Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action:
“As an organization dedicated to ending hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), we are incredibly alarmed that Trump is set to once again use the highest office in the land to build on his legacy of racism and bigotry.
Millions of AAPIs share our deep concern for the safety and wellbeing of our communities and our nation under the next Trump administration. We know all too well how Trump embraces racist rhetoric and enshrines hate into policies for his own personal gain — all while trampling over our freedoms, our safety, and our rights. In fact, Stop AAPI Hate was founded in response to the wave of anti-Asian hate Trump stoked by unfairly blaming Asian people for the COVID-19 pandemic with outrageously racist rhetoric. Since then, he has only continued to exploit his political power to fuel more hate, manufacture fear, spew disinformation, divide Americans, and erode our democracy.
But as Trump builds on his legacy of hate and division, AAPIs will build on our legacy of resilience and resistance. Since his first campaign and administration, AAPIs and allies have confronted anti-AAPI hate on a national scale, marched in the streets for women’s rights, joined calls for racial justice for Black communities, rallied against Trump’s Muslim Ban, called out his thirst for authoritarianism, and built coalitions with communities of all backgrounds. Today, AAPIs are more mobilized than ever before, and we are ready to defend the rights, dignity, and safety of all communities as part of the pro-democracy movement.
Our communities are done being scapegoated, silenced, and sidelined. Stop AAPI Hate will help lead the way for our communities towards a brighter future in which everyone in America can prosper. We will document anti-AAPI hate through our reporting center, amp up our work to strengthen and protect civil rights, hold leaders accountable for bigoted rhetoric and policies, track far-right extremism impacting AAPIs, and advocate for affirmative policies that give AAPIs and people of color equal opportunity to thrive.
We call on our supporters, allies, and the broader AAPI community to stay engaged and mobilized — not only now but also throughout the next four years and beyond. We cannot afford to give in to disillusionment and despondency, especially when we have already proven that it’s possible to resist and succeed. We must all work together continuously – across the aisle and across communities – to reject the dangerous forces of racism and xenophobia, far-right extremism, and authoritarianism that propelled Trump into power. When we have strength in numbers and solidarity, we can ensure that America holds true to its promise of freedom, opportunity, and equality for all.”
