Friends, knowing the facts about COVID-19 can keep us all safer from its deadly impact. But what does not make anyone safer are efforts to divide us.

When the president of the United States openly displays his racist and xenophobic attitudes, and inappropriately claims that COVID-19 is a “Chinese virus,” he is, at least in part, to blame for the resulting acts of harassment, aggression, and violence that Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in the United States have been subjected to daily in the past three months.

There is a legacy of discrimination against the AAPI community, including by our government. That is why it is so important to denounce racism and bigotry in all forms.

AAPI people around the country have reported more than 1,000 acts of aggression – they have been spat on, coughed at, and physically assaulted. And as states start to reopen, our AAPI friends, neighbors, and co-workers are likely to continue to experience these attacks.

As Democratic Attorneys General, we are standing with our AAPI communities and taking action against this hateful conduct. This is a matter of public safety – and lives are on the line. We will fight back against these attacks and denounce any language that promotes racism or discrimination.

To protect our friends and neighbors, we are asking you to join us in fighting against this rise in hate. May is AAPI Heritage Month, so it’s especially important to send a strong message of solidarity and reject racism. An attack against one vulnerable community is an attack against all of us.

We only have a few hours left before our deadline, so please – will you stand with us against hate? Add your name to stand with the AAPI community against racial profiling, hate crimes, and xenophobia.

Thank you for speaking out against hate,

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, DAGA Co-Chair
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, DAGA Executive Committee member
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh