View this email in your browser ([link removed])
OCA Demands Apology Upon Hearing Senator Marsha Blackburn’s Xenophobic Tweets Regarding China

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

14 December 2020

Contact: Eiley Fong | Communications Associate
202.223.5500 | [email protected] ([link removed] [email protected])


Washington, DC - OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is outraged to hear that Senator Marsha Blackburn tweeted a xenophobic and sinophobic statement ([link removed]) on December 3, 2020, commenting that “China has a 5,000 year history of cheating and stealing. Some things will never change …” Fueling racism and anti-Asian sentiment is not a new occurrence this year, as many attacks towards Asian Americans have risen due in part to COVID-19 and strained relations with China. This racist comment is a direct attack towards Chinese and Chinese Americans living in the United States, diminishing their culture and heritage to “cheating and stealing,” and simply serves to add fuel to the anti-Asian violence prevailing during this pandemic.

“This is not the first case of sinophobia in the United States. Due to our complicated diplomatic relationship with China, there are some who feel encouraged to make false and hurtful generalized statements towards anything that appears Chinese.” states Sharon M. Wong, OCA National President. “Asian Americans have been used as scapegoats, excuses, and reasons to be treated as perpetual foreigners. This detrimental behavior will not change unless we understand and study the history of AAPIs in this country, and change the conversation around blame and perpetual foreign-ness of AAPIs. This starts with the rhetoric that elected officials use, and we demand that Senator Blackburn reflect and apologize for her actions.”

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

###

To view this online, please click here ([link removed]) .

============================================================
** ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2020 OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, All rights reserved.
Thank you for signing up for the OCA National Center's Listserv.

Our mailing address is:
OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates
1322 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
[link removed]