December 2, 2021
The Asian American Psychological Association is deeply saddened and repulsed by the latest example of White Supremacy evidenced by the verdict in the Rittenhouse trial. While we are encouraged to see convictions in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, let us not forget that were it not for the work of activists and the Arbery family there would not have been an opportunity for accountability in the first place. The only difference between the past and our current state of affairs is that despite being pervasive across media outlets and social media streams, systems of oppression and anti-Blackness are disregarded and denied rather than dismantled. The message from the criminal justice system is clear – Whites are shielded from culpability, while Blacks are punished to the full extent of the law. This is unacceptable and will always be unacceptable.
AAPA will continue to stand in solidarity with our Black siblings and strive for justice within and outside of our community. The gravity of the situation is not lost on us. It is our hope to find ways to be agents of change by going above and beyond providing statement after statement filled with emotions. As an action of support, we vow to remain steadfast in reviving our social justice task force that will include as its focus raising awareness of the ways in which anti-Blackness has permeated our communities and taking action to uproot this. We also pledge to allocate funding to support the work of our members in the areas of advocacy and social justice. We acknowledge the importance of community building and will work to strengthen our relationships with our fellow Ethnic Psychological Associations by implementing organizational action through collaboration. We are committed to maintaining dialogue and building awareness, both of which are essential to supporting the change process. As such, we will establish a consistent and dedicated space to address issues of social justice at our annual convention.
As research and our experiences remind us, repeated exposure to past and present traumas (both direct and vicarious) leads to significant emotional and physical distress. It is vital during this time to take steps to address this, both individually and as a community to support one another in our shared sorrow. We at AAPA stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and welcome the opportunity to join together in actualizing a world where this is our reality.
Past AAPA Statements:
AAPA Reaffirms Solidarity with Black Lives Matter during Pandemic of Racism
See .pdf version of statement here