The Tompkins County Office of Human Rights, Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature, Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and Ithaca Asian American Association strongly condemn recent acts of racist-motivated harassment, intimidation, verbal and physical attacks and microaggressions against our fellow Asian and Asian American community members. During the current COVID-19 pandemic communities in Ithaca and worldwide have been working together to mitigate its spread; making emergency provisions for those infected; and compassionately helping many whose lives and livelihoods have been disrupted.
Yet there are those, locally, nationally and globally, who have seized this moment to tear at the fabric of human community. The pandemic affecting us all, directly or indirectly, is global, untethered to any one locale, ethnicity, region, continent or hemisphere. This public health emergency, during which we practice social distancing, should not be exploited to foster racist division and ethnic scapegoating that separates us as human beings. We are all in this together. And we will eventually overcome this together.
We stand with and in support of all Asian and Asian American residents of Tompkins County and against anti-Asian discrimination. They should not be subjected to “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”—a violation of their human rights—because of Coronavirus. Please report incidents of discrimination to the Office of Human Rights, which can facilitate the filing of complaints regarding institutions and individuals with the New York State Division of Human Rights (607-277-4080;
https://tompkinscountyny.gov/humanrights/email). Report acts of intimidation, verbal and physical attacks report to law enforcement by calling the 911 Center – 911 for emergencies, and 273-8000 for non-emergencies. Contact the Ithaca Asian American Association if you seek support an affinity group at
iaaa607@yahoo.com; www.ithacaasian.org;
Kenneth I. Clarke, Sr., D.Min.
Director
Tompkins County Office of Human Rights
120 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
t: 607.277.4080
f: 607.277.4106
To our friends, colleagues and neighbors,
In these extraordinary times it is important to notice and celebrate the strength, compassion and courage of our community.
In a very short time this community has managed to organize to get people fed and cared for, and to protect our children and continue their education.
People are coming together to communicate in unprecedented ways in spite of the need to avoid in-person gatherings.
Our leadership has stepped up to confront the racist anti-Asian incidents that have taken place with the clear message that these ignorant, hateful behaviors must stop.
Our people are demonstrating that it is indeed possible for us to care for one another and to think about meeting the needs of all of us.
Even as we are asked to work from home if we can, many of us continue to work in essential jobs to provide for the safety and support of our community, serving the public while risking exposure, and frequently absorbing the frustration and anxiety of their customers.
People are showing remarkable kindness, generosity, ingenuity and sacrifice. Even as social distancing is the soup du jour, we’re also learning to center solidarity over charity in how we keep one another alive.
While this crisis will eventually pass, let us resolve to maintain the community connections, and strengthen our capacity to care for and sustain one another. Things will never get back to normal, but we can make this our new business as usual.
Take good care of yourselves, stay healthy and stay connected.
Your friends at DCI
