- Office of Pennsylvania Governor TOM WOLF -
PROCLAMATION ON THE RISE OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE

WHEREAS, during the COVID-19 pandemic, xenophobic rhetoric has put Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)families, individuals, businesses, and communities at risk; and,

WHEREAS, such rhetoric has coincided with a shocking rise in racial profiling, discrimination, microaggressions, and even hate crimes and violence directed toward Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, including cases here in Pennsylvania; and,

WHEREAS, the AAPI community has suffered from a continuation of racist rhetoric and racist laws, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to the incarceration of Japanese-Americans in World War II, to the brutal murder of eight people recently in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian women; and,

WHEREAS, ongoing and detestable displays of hate have gone unreported, perpetuated by the model minority myth that Asians are complacent and will remain silent, even as Asian-Americans are too often targeted and violated, including our most vulnerable children and elderly individuals; and,

WHEREAS, as President Joe Biden stated during his first prime time address in office, "anti-Asian violence and xenophobia is wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop"; and,

WHEREAS, today the cultural heritage of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community enhances Pennsylvania and its many communities; and,

WHEREAS, numerous organizations serving the diverse Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities throughout the commonwealth assist individuals, families, and organizations in celebrating their cultural heritage and educating the greater public about the many contributions of Asian and Asian-Americans to Pennsylvania; and,

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's support for inclusion and belonging for people of all races, national origins, and ethnicities i's critical to guaranteeing the security and prosperity of people throughout the commonwealth.

THEREFORE, I, Tom Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, denounce intolerance, anti-Asian sentiment, and xenophobia in cooperation with the Consul General of Japan, the Japanese Association of Greater Philadelphia, the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, and other AAPI organizations and call/or the well-being and safety of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander individuals and communities throughout Pennsylvania.

GIVEN under my hand and the Seal of the Governor, at the City of Harrisburg, on this thirtieth day of June two thousand twenty-one, the year of the commonwealth the two hundred

TOM WOLF
Governor