June 1, 2020 to June 5, 2020

Tomorrow we are supposed to go back to work, but it will not be easy. I’m okay with that, because we should never comfortably go back to our lives again after seeing the police kill a Black person with such disregard for a human life. The question we must ask ourselves and our organizations now is: What will you/your organization DO differently to root out racism?

George Floyd should be alive. And, it should not have taken his death for us to see that our systems are broken, and they will not work until we undo and rebuild it centered on communities. So, though I said it before I’ll say it again, you must not just talk about the wonderful values and statements you have around diversity, equity and inclusion, you must seriously look at what you/your organization will divest from, and where you will instead move people and dollars to invest in ending racism. Whatever is next for you/your organization, it must be about doing, not just talking.

I have received many questions about where we stand because one of the officers is Asian American, specifically Hmong American. At first, I wondered if leaders who share the ethnicity and race of the other two officers are getting the same questions. I don’t know, but more importantly I don’t want to be further distracted by racism so let me not waver and say clearly that I, and we at CAAL, stand with George Floyd’s family and the Black community’s demands for justice — that is that all four officers be held accountable for their part in George Floyd’s death. That is why we’ve already written a community letter to state our position, and called upon our Asian brothers and sisters in Minnesota and from across the country to stand with us in unequivocally saying that we will not disown anti-Blackness in our community, and instead struggle with our own people to undo it. Furthermore, we choose our shared liberation. We will not watch from the sidelines in demanding justice for George Floyd, and we will join others in pushing forward agendas that focus on transforming systems to end racism.   

Throughout history, there have been attempts to pit Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities against each other – this is not new. It’s a tactic of that detracts from our attention to collectively tackle our common oppression: the systems of white supremacy. The solution lies in solidarity and unity with each other. We know this. It’s why you will see that our work at CAAL has never been just about Asian Minnesotans, and why we are dedicated to building efforts like the LinkingLeaders Partnership. We know the only way forward is through solidarity.

Today ends Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). While the official month closes, it is a new calling in of our communities’ resilience and strength to rise up and fight for justice and liberation. Let’s do more and do better together. 

With care and commitment,
Bo Thao-Urabe
Executive & Network Director