January 6, 2022

Dear Community,

Today marks one year since the horrific January 6th attack on our country and democracy, when militants stormed our nation’s Capitol in a deadly attempt to overturn the will of the people. As a community of Americans, established and new, the 2020 elections saw the largest turn-out of Asian Americans to the voting polls. We are proud we were part of making that happen. That’s why we remain hopeful that accountability prevails to protect the integrity of our democracy.  

One of our core values at CAAL is the belief that our democracy thrives when all communities are visible, included, and fully engaged in shaping systemic decisions that impact their lives. To ensure communities can do this, we must not let the January 6, 2021 events fade into history. In fact, we must do more to ensure Asian Americans and all communities who have a right to vote can do so in every election. We must also uplift and create more narratives where our community’s increasing participation in shaping democracy is supported and welcomed in the face of racism and xenophobia. 

Leaders like you have stood alongside us to combat systemic inequities and hate in our communities. So, on this January 6th, we call on you to recommit to centering justice and equity towards a representative, multi-racial democracy. We join Americans across race, place, and background in coming together to say – in America, the voters decide the outcome of our elections.

In solidarity,

Bo Thao-Urabe
Executive & Network Director