Stop AAPI Hate has launched a new advocacy campaign to challenge the Trump administration’s relentless attacks on immigrants, which it says are fueling racism and discrimination against AAPIs (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) and all people of color.
The ‘Many Roots, One Home’ campaign is grounded in four key areas of focus: 1) uniting against mass deportation, 2) confronting racial profiling, 3) supporting family-based immigration, and 4) defending birthright citizenship — each of which are vital to ensure the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of immigrants, AAPI families, and communities of color across the nation, according to a media release.
“Anti-immigrant hate and anti-Asian racism are inextricably tied,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, Co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance. “From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Asiatic Barred Zone Act in 1917, to Japanese American incarceration during WWII and Trump’s Muslim Ban in 2017, history has shown us that when AAPI immigrants are demonized by our government, the harm extends to all those in our community regardless of immigration or citizenship status. To this day, Asians in the U.S. are too often viewed as ‘perpetual foreigners’ no matter what — and the Trump administration is playing into this hate-fueled trope to deny us all full rights and equal opportunity. Our new campaign is a call to action to protect our freedoms, our families, and our future.”
‘Many Roots, One Home,’ the release stated, will fight back against the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant attacks through efforts including, but not limited to:
- Policy advocacy: Stop AAPI Hate will engage federal and state lawmakers and partner with civil rights organizations to fight Trump’s xenophobic policies, such as his unconstitutional assault on birthright citizenship and his militarized mass deportation operation. It will also resist the surge of racist legislation that scapegoats Asians and Asian Americans on the basis of ‘national security’ — including anticipated travel bans and Sinophobic land ownership bans that fuel discrimination and racial profiling. Additionally, Stop AAPI Hate will advance affirmative legislation that supports the needs of AAPI communities and immigrants.
- Data and research: It will continue polling to gain insights on our communities’ experiences with xenophobia and hate. We will also study how anti-immigrant political rhetoric and policies fuel anti-AAPI hate by tracking trends in online spaces and by examining hate acts submitted to our reporting center.
- Education and storytelling: It will produce an array of digital content focused on educating the public about the history of xenophobia and anti-AAPI hate in the U.S. as well as raising awareness about the current impact of anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric. Storytelling efforts will feature first-hand experiences with racism and discrimination as a result of institutional xenophobia.
- Activating supporters: The campaign aims to activate hundreds of thousands of AAPI supporters and the broader AAPI community to fight back against Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda.
- Stop AAPI Hate will drive people to contact their elected officials; to join on-the-ground events including protests, rallies, and advocacy days (such as upcoming ones in Austin, Texas and Sacramento, CA); and to answer other calls to action from Stop AAPI Hate and allied groups. It will also host monthly virtual town halls where people can learn about key immigration issues and actions to take.
“Trump, his far-right loyalists, and his billionaire backers like Elon Musk are wasting no time dehumanizing and scapegoating immigrants, who are simply seeking safety and security in America,” said Cynthia Choi, Co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “All of their attacks against immigrants are in service of their insidious end goal: to make America forever hostile to communities of color and ultimately disenfranchise and disempower us for generations to come. The future of our nation is at a critical juncture, with millions of lives on the line. This moment demands that we come together across communities, classes, generations, and movements to resist the Trump administration’s racist, anti-immigrant agenda and uphold America’s promise of equality, opportunity, and freedom for all.”
