NIRH President Releases Statement Condemning Anti-Asian Violence; Calls for Support and Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2021
Contact: Kelly Novak, [email protected]

Statement from Andrea Miller, President of National Institute of Reproductive Health and NIRH Action Fund:

“NIRH condemns the recent surge of anti-Asian violence in communities across the United States, including those that have been particularly visible in New York City, Oakland, San Francisco, and Seattle, and the tragic and terrifying shootings of multiple Asian women last night in Georgia.

All of us deserve to thrive in our community, free from xenophobia, racism, and the harms of white supremacy. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began sweeping through the United States, Asian communities and those presenting as Asian have faced myriad forms of harassment and violence, and numerous elected officials only fanned the flames with inflammatory, hateful name-calling and racial slurs. This is horrifying, and we extend our sincerest support and solidarity to all of those harmed by these egregious acts. We also want to shine a light on the incredible work of our friends and partners at the National Asian Pacific American Women Forum (NAPAWF), who work tirelessly to create social, political, and economic change for AAPI women and girls, and show up in solidarity for other women of color who are experiencing injustice and harms of oppression and marginalization.

We call on elected leaders at all levels of government – particularly, the state and local levels, where officials should be especially connected to the needs of their communities – to use their levers of power to speak out against this violence, hold perpetrators of this harm accountable, and generously deploy anti-racism resources and support to those most impacted.”

NIRH recommends and is grateful for these resources from Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

###

The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) works to protect and advance just and equitable access to reproductive health care. Our strategy is to go on the offensive to pass laws that safeguard reproductive freedom. NIRH builds coalitions, launches campaigns, and successfully advocates for policy change in partnership with state and local reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations and allied groups. We work together so that the fabric of reproductive freedom is harder to tear apart.