Voters Must Look Past the “Redbaiting” Tactics Which Has Stoked Anti-Asian Racism

STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November, 07, 2022

CONTACT:
James Woo, Advancing Justice-Atlanta, jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org

Michelle Boykins, Advancing Justice – AAJC, mboykins@advancingjustice-aajc.org 

Niketa Kumar, Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, media@advancingjustice-alc.org 

Kevin Hsia, Advancing Justice - Chicago, khsia@advancingjustice-chicago.org  

Liza Ameen, AJSOCAL, lameen@ajsocal.org 

Atlanta, GA — Tomorrow is midterm election day. Across the country, there has been an increase in the sinophobic rhetoric used in political campaigns, particularly to attack Asian Americans running for office. Candidates using sinophobia, a fear or dislike of China, or its people/culture are contributing to and validating anti-Asian racism and hate. A recent report by Stop AAPI Hate documents this https://stopaapihate.org/anti-asian-scapegoating/ 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five independent civil rights organizations and Asian American Pacific Islander community partners jointly release the following statement:

“In the remaining 24 hours leading up to election day, we call on political candidates to immediately cease the usage of anti-Asian, sinophobic, and redbaiting language in campaign messaging. Across the country, voters are looking for politicians who will stand up for our values and fight for our needs and aspirations. Anti-Chinese rhetoric does not deliver for voters nor does it offer real solutions to the problems we face.

We condemn the anti-Chinese political narrative many political candidates have been using in this midterm election cycle in an effort to sway voters. This xenophobic fear-mongering hurts Asian American communities that have already been facing 339% increase in anti-Asian racism and hate over the last year.

Redbaiting strategies are being used against Asian American candidates who are being falsely accused of affiliations or ties to the Chinese Communist Party simply because of their Chinese or Asian descent. These attacks have come from both sides of the political aisle and even among candidates belonging to the same parties. Most troubling, even some Asian American candidates are using this racist and xenophobic language against other Asian American candidates.

We urge all voters to look past these false claims that seek to mislead and manipulate the public for political gain.

This harmful rhetoric feeds into and exacerbates the false stereotype of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners or outsiders not to be trusted. Recognizing that there are credible threats from the Chinese government, we must not overreact by allowing geopolitical tensions to paint all Asian Americans with a broad stroke of suspicion and cause further harm to our communities back home. The “China threat” narrative seeks to stoke anti-Chinese sentiment with voters in cities and neighborhoods across the country. The impact dangerously feeds the scapegoating of Asian Americans and the rise in anti-Asian violence that has been so harmful during this pandemic.”

Signed,

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC (Washington, DC)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Southern California

AADAP, Inc

AAPIs for CivicChinese Community Center, Inc. - Houston Empowerment

ACDC Texas

API Equality-LA

API Middle Tennessee

API Middle Tennessee

APIA Vote-MI

Asian American Community Services

Asian American Federation

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California

Asian Americans United

Asian Association of Utah

Asian Law Alliance

Asian Texans for Justice

Asian Youth Center (AYC)

AZ AANHPI for Equity

Chinatown Service Center

Chinese Community Center Inc. Houston

Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community

Committee of 100

Dove and Crane Collective

Hamkae Center

Khmer Girls in Action

Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC)

Mian Line Chinese Culture Center, Inc.

MinKwon Center for Community Action

MN8

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Houston Chapter

OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership

Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA)

Rising Voices

saavetx Education Fund

Search to Involve Pilipino Americans

SOUTH ASIAN NETWORK

Thai Community Development Center

Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all.