APALA

  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership
    • National Staff
    • Partners
    • Opportunities
    • Contact us
  • Our Work
    • Economic & Worker Justice
    • Racial & Immigrant Justice
    • Civic & Political Engagement >
      • Engage For Change Program
      • Information for Voters
      • Information for Organizers
      • Register To Vote
    • Organizing & Leadership Development >
      • APALA Organizing Institute - August 2018
  • Chapters
  • Take Action
    • Action Center >
      • Stand Up to Trump's Public Charge
    • Become a member >
      • Yearly Membership
      • Lifetime Warriors
    • Donate
    • Subscribe
  • Media
    • Press Releases
    • Publications
    • APALA in the News
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership
    • National Staff
    • Partners
    • Opportunities
    • Contact us
  • Our Work
    • Economic & Worker Justice
    • Racial & Immigrant Justice
    • Civic & Political Engagement >
      • Engage For Change Program
      • Information for Voters
      • Information for Organizers
      • Register To Vote
    • Organizing & Leadership Development >
      • APALA Organizing Institute - August 2018
  • Chapters
  • Take Action
    • Action Center >
      • Stand Up to Trump's Public Charge
    • Become a member >
      • Yearly Membership
      • Lifetime Warriors
    • Donate
    • Subscribe
  • Media
    • Press Releases
    • Publications
    • APALA in the News

Press Releases

No Justice, No Peace

9/23/2016

 
​Washington, DC – The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) rises in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives, following the recent shootings in Oklahoma and North Carolina.
 
On September 16, Terence Crutcher – unarmed – had his hands in the air but was fatally shot by police in Tulsa. On September 20, Keith Lamont Scott – a disabled man – was shot and killed by police while waiting for his son to be dropped off by a school bus in Charlotte. These losses have sparked outrage and protests in both Oklahoma and North Carolina this week.
 
According to Mapping Police Violence, police and law enforcement have killed 346 black people in 2015 and at least 214 black people this year alone. The deaths of Crutcher and Scott continue a pattern of police violence and demonstrate the deep-rooted hatred and racism on Black lives and people of color.
 
“No justice, no peace. Each Black life lost at the hands of police officers leaves behind family, friends, and a village of people who are demanding justice, accountability, and freedom for all Black people,” declared APALA National President Johanna Hester. “Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. Delrawn Small. Freddie Gray. Sandra Bland. Eric Garner. The list goes on. Our freedom, as an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, is intrinsically linked with the freedom of Black folks everywhere. Only through collective action and organizing can we all be free.”
 
“We are outraged. Black folks and people of color have every right to be angry at this disproportionate state-sanctioned targeting and mass criminalization of their bodies,” added APALA Executive Director Gregory A. Cendana. “Time and again, we see that their lives are not brought to justice, and we refuse to allow the deaths of Black people to become the norm. It’s so crucial that we organize and mobilize our communities to dismantle this system that too often targets people of color for simply being Black and brown.”
 
In August, APALA organized and joined over 100 AAPI and allied organizations on a Joint Statement for AAPI Solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives. With our allies and co-conspirators, we continue to fight for justice of our Black kinfolk and all people of color and call our community to take action. Here’s how you can help:
 
  • Sign this petition demanding that the officer who shot Terence Crutcher be indicted.
  • Make a donation to support local organizing efforts in North Carolina with the Southern Vision Alliance and Durham Solidarity Center.  
  • Take the #NotYourModelMinority pledge and stand on the side of freedom.
###

Over 100 Organizations Sign On to Joint Statement for AAPI Solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives

8/23/2016

 
​In the wake of increased violence against Black folks, 128 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations and allied organizations – from national advocacy NGOs to university student groups – are rising to support #BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives.
 
Below please find the statement and the undersigned supporters. This statement is also available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese. 
Joint Statement for AAPI Solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives
 
Our hearts are hurting. While words cannot bring back Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Renisha McBride, Akai Gurley and many more whose stories go unrecognized, we join together with Black organizers in a movement ignited to fight for Black liberation, human dignity and transformative justice. We, as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, stand firmly with #BlackLivesMatter and the movement for Black lives.
 
We reject the mass criminalization and widely disproportionate over-policing, brutality and murder of our Black kinfolk. We refuse to stand silent on the lack of accountability, transparency and responsibility of police and law enforcement. We renounce the deep-rooted racism that makes the deaths of Black folks all too common. We demand an end to this ongoing state-sanctioned violence and the racist institutions that continue to devalue Black lives. We demand justice now. 
 
We commit to doing the work within our communities and mobilizing our bases. We will march shoulder to shoulder. We will keep fighting and we will carry their names. For without Black liberation none of us can be free.
Signed by:
 
18MillionRising.org
Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus
Alaskeros Kasamahan
Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL)
Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
Anakbayan USA
API Equality - Northern California (APIENC)
API Queer Women and Trans Community (APIQWTC)
API Solidarity DC
Asian American Alliance at Duke
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
Asian American Millennials Unite
Asian American Organizing Project
Asian American Pacific Islander Progressive Alliance
Asian American Psychological Association
Asian American Resource Workshop
Asian American Student Union (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
Asian American Studies Task Force
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles
Asian Americans United
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy - Philadelphia
Asian Pacific American Heritage Week - University of Pennsylvania
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO - Washington, DC
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon
Asian Pacific American Student Development, UC Berkeley
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (APIA) at UC Santa Barbara
Asian Students in America at Carleton College
Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL)
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
Asian/Pacific Islander Queers United for Action (AQUA)
AZAPIAVote Table
Baltimore Asian Resistance in Solidarity
Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour
CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities
Center for APA Women
ChangeLab
Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED)
Chinese Progressive Association - San Francisco
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
Council on American-Islamic Relations, SFBA
Dari Project
Densho
DRUM - Desis Rising Up and Moving
East Coast Asian American Student union
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Filipino Advocates for Justice
Filipino American Democratic Club of New York
Freedom Inc
GABRIELA USA
Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY)
Girls Make Better Ninjas: AAPI Feminism Workshop
Hai Ba Trung School for Organizing, SoCal
Hmong Innovating Politics
Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Student Association
Jahajee Sisters: Empowering Indo-Caribbean Women
Japanese American Citizens League Philadelphia Chapter
Lantern Media Network
LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leadership and Organizing)
KAN-WIN
Kimchi Mamas
Korean American Resource and Cultural Center
Migrante Washington D.C.
Muslim Community Network
Muslim Women's Professional Network - St. Louis
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association, NAAPIMHA
National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum - Bay Area
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum - New York
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates
OneAmerica
Pan Asian American Student Alliance of the University of San Francisco
Penn Taiwanese Society
Philadelphia South Asian Collective
Pilipino American Unity for Progress, Inc. (UniPro)
PrYSM
Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project - QWOCMAP
Rad Asians - Twin Cities
Reappropriate
상록수 (Sahngnoksoo) Seattle
Satrang
Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN)
South Asian American Policy & Research Institute (SAAPRI)
South Asian Americans Leading Together
South Asian Fund For Education, Scholarship & Training (SAFEST)
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Southeast Asian Community Alliance
Southeast Asian Coalition (SEAC)
​Southwest Asian & North Afrikan - Los Angeles (SWANA-LA) 
Stanford Asian American Activism Committee
Trikone Northwest
VAYLA New Orleans
Viet-Unity Los Angeles
Wakefield Asian Club
Yale School of Drama's Asian American and Asian Theater Coalition


Allied Organizations
After Bruce PR & Marketing
Agenda Project Action Fund
Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice
Ceanothus Consulting
Chutney Pride Inc.- A Nonprofit LGBT Caribbean Organization
Community Health Partnership
Elemental Partners
Families Of Color Seattle
Freedom at Emory University
Freedom Trainers
The Gathering for Justice/Justice League NYC
Lionswrite Communications
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
mothermade
Oregon State University
PKVisuals
Pride at Work
Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project
Stop the Checkpoints
UFCW Minority Coalition
United Steelworkers
Voto Latino
Workers Defense Project
###

No Justice or Accountability in Murder of Freddie Gray

7/28/2016

 
Washington, DC – Earlier this week, all charges related to the 2015 detainment and death of Freddie Gray against the three remaining officers were dropped. The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) is disappointed in the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges and demands justice and accountability for all Black lives.

“It’s extremely unfortunate that the prosecutors dropped all charges in this case,” stated APALA National President Johanna Hester. “However, what we’ve witnessed already in this case – the acquittal of three police officers of any and all charges – shows how broken our criminal justice system is. Without substantive reforms in the system and a cultural shift in how people perceive Black folks, we can’t move towards any type of racial justice.”

Earlier this year, Baltimore Police Officers Brian Rice, Edward Nero, and Caesar Goodson, Jr. were all acquitted of charges in their involvement in the case. The lack of justice and accountability for Black deaths remains all too recent with the July murders of Delrawn Small, Alton Sterling, and Philando Castile.

“Blacks folks have every right to be angry at the state-sanctioned targeting of their bodies. Freddie Gray. Alton Sterling. Sandra Bland. Eric Garner. The list goes on and on,” added APALA Executive Director Gregory A. Cendana. “We can’t – we refuse – to normalize Black deaths. I echo my disappointment with the recent news of prosecutors dropping all charges. But it’s sad to say that had those gone to trial, the result would have been the same. Without Black liberation, none of us can be free. That’s something we need to remember.”
​
APALA stands firmly with #BlackLivesMatter and the Movement for Black Lives and calls for all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to join us in organizing for Black liberation.
###
Press Release for Printing
File Size: 208 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

<<Previous
Forward>>

    For Immediate Release

    Contact:
    apala[at]apalanet.org
    (202) 508-3733

    For full list of all press releases and statements, please click here.

    ​

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    April 2013
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    April 2011
    February 2011
    August 2007

    Categories

    All
    2016 Election
    AAPI Behind Bars
    AAPIs Beyond Bars
    #AAPIsResist
    Affirmative Action
    APAHM
    #BlackLivesMatter
    Black Lives Matter
    Civic Engagement
    Convention
    Corporate Accountability
    Criminal Justice Reform
    DACA
    DOL
    DREAMERs
    Economic Justice
    Education
    End Islamophobia
    Endorsements
    Every Vote Counts
    Gender Justice
    Gun Control
    Gun Violence
    Hate Crime
    Healthcare
    Health & Safety
    Immigration
    International Solidarity
    Leadership
    LGBTQ
    Living Wage
    Mass Criminalization
    Mass Incarceration
    National Executive Board
    NHPI
    Not Your Model Minority
    Police Brutality
    POTUS
    Racial Justice
    Reproductive Justice
    #ResistTrump
    Right To Organize
    SCOTUS
    TPP
    Trade Justice
    Unemployment
    Voter Education And Mobilization
    Women's Rights
    Workers' Rights
    Young Leaders Council

    RSS Feed

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
815 16th St. NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20006
202-508-3733 | apala@apalanet.org

​Contact Us
Founded in 1992, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, is the first and only national organization of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers, most of whom are union members and our allies, building power for AAPI workers and communities.
Quick Navigation
About | Our Work | Chapters | Take Action | 
Media & Resources