Hi John,

Today is Lunar New Year and the first day of Black History Month. So we want to talk about both our communities.

Black and Asian American communities have worked proudly together for working people and for civil rights for many years.

In the 1960s, Asian Americans were dubbed the “model minority.” This racial hierarchy is used to disregard Black Americans when they talk about the racism they face.

In this pandemic, we’re told that the rise in violence against the Asian American community is mainly coming from the Black community. This is not true.

Don’t believe the attempts to divide us—our communities have struggled and worked together for decades.

Frederick Douglass spoke against anti-Chinese immigration policies.

Grace Lee Boggs fought for civil and worker rights and helped organize Black autoworkers in Detroit for more than 60 years.

Asian organizers created Letters for Black Lives to talk about anti-Blackness with Asian families in their own language.

So today, we share a holiday. And our fight for justice will be shared until the day we are all free.

Happy Year of the Tiger! Happy Black History Month!

In Solidarity,

Team AFL-CIO