In early 2020 Gilead House announced it stood in solidarity with the black community and supported everyone's right to peacefully protest the pervasive structural racism, racial injustice, and senseless violence committed against African Americans in the United States.
Today Gilead House announces its support for the Asian, Asian American & Pacific Islander communities and condemns the attacks stemming from all kinds of hatred and bigotry. The growing anti-Asian sentiment over the last 150 years serves as a reminder that our nation has a torrid history against Asian people.
Our nation subjugates Asian people in crisis situations from the Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871 in Chinatown where 19 Chinese residents were attacked and murdered by a mob to WW II where 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast were forced into internments. It is estimated 62% of those interned were US Citizens.
Even today across our country the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are blamed for the CoVid-19 pandemic and retaliated against as evidenced by the March 16th Atlanta killings and ongoing attacks in Oakland and San Francisco where Asian Americans are beaten, attacked and murdered weekly. The threat of anti-Asian violence affects their daily lives. Much like the homeless, many work jobs that will not allow them to receive unemployment benefits or stimulus aid. The vast racial disparities in both homelessness and in the impacts of COVID-19 are also stark examples of this continued inequity.
These disparities are perpetuated by structural racism throughout our society, including our criminal justice system, access to healthcare, education, employment, and economic opportunities.
We know that racial inequity is one of several causes of homelessness. As part of Gilead House's mission to end homelessness in Marin, we re-commit ourselves to the goals of ending racial disparities in the homeless sector and to confronting structural racism within our community. We pledge to prioritize our actions to ensure equity structure and training within our own organization and will continue to collaborate closely with government, church, corporate and other community and social leaders advancing the efforts of racial equity.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement expressing his profound concern over the rise in violence against Asians and people of Asian descent, during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The world has witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying in schools, workplace discrimination, incitement to hatred in the media and on social media platforms, and incendiary language by those in positions of power”, said the UN chief, in a statement issued through his Spokesperson – UN News. In pivotal moments such as this, we must stand united in the fight against racial inequity. We must all stand together to ensure everyone is treated with dignity, respect and love. We thank you for supporting our efforts and ask you to continue the conversation with us. Gilead House Staff and Board of Directors
“Lord come into our brokenness and our lives with your love that heals all. Consume our pride and replace it with humility and vulnerability. Allow us to make space for your correction and redemption. Allow us to bow down with humble hearts, hearts of repentance. Bind us together in true unity and restoration. Give us collective eyes to see our role in repairing what has been broken. Allow these words to be a conduit for personal transformation." - Latasha Morrison (excerpt from a prayer of humility, Be the Bridge)
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