IHI stands with other marginalized communities in the pursuit of justice, understanding the intersectional and deeply related nature of our struggles, and with the recognition that liberation for one community cannot come before liberation for all.
Please find below a collection of IHI's statements on current events and cross-racial solidarity.
IHI Calls for Gaza Ceasefire
Dear Friends of IHI,
Over the last few months, the Immigrant History Initiative has ramped down much of our public-facing programming while we focused on more internal projects, including developing new curricula and redesigning our website. At the same time, we have been unable to ignore the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Although we are not experts on Israel and Palestine issues or the history of the region, we feel compelled as an organization to call for a ceasefire and an end to the human rights violations and atrocities in Gaza, where the death toll has reached over 23,000 as of January 9, 2024.
As an organization that focuses on diasporas and migration, we recognize that war and violence leave indelible, multi-generational trauma. As an organization focused on Asian American history, we also see the clear parallels between the violence taking place in Gaza and the past atrocities of conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Korean War, U.S. colonial violence in the Philippines, and many others. Asian diasporas have long been active in dismantling colonialism and imperialism and share a long legacy of resistance against militarized violence and oppression. Recognizing these histories and their parallels today, we stand in solidarity with Gaza and Palestine.
Because of our work with schools and families, we are especially concerned about the impact of the current conflict, as well as how it is discussed or portrayed, on younger generations. We have already seen an increase in both Islamophobia and antisemitism, and we know that children and young people will bear a significant portion of this rising intolerance in schools and in public. We ask you, the friends of IHI, to communicate and listen to the young people in your lives, and most importantly reaffirm and champion their humanity. Rather than cloaking this trauma in silence, we encourage educators and others to engage in dialogue and foster empathy and education.
We find Zinn Education Project’s page, “Teaching about the Violence in Palestine and Israel,” to be a helpful resource for support, links, books, and lessons to discuss these topics in the classroom and beyond.
In Community,
Immigrant History Initiative
Over the last few months, the Immigrant History Initiative has ramped down much of our public-facing programming while we focused on more internal projects, including developing new curricula and redesigning our website. At the same time, we have been unable to ignore the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Although we are not experts on Israel and Palestine issues or the history of the region, we feel compelled as an organization to call for a ceasefire and an end to the human rights violations and atrocities in Gaza, where the death toll has reached over 23,000 as of January 9, 2024.
As an organization that focuses on diasporas and migration, we recognize that war and violence leave indelible, multi-generational trauma. As an organization focused on Asian American history, we also see the clear parallels between the violence taking place in Gaza and the past atrocities of conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Korean War, U.S. colonial violence in the Philippines, and many others. Asian diasporas have long been active in dismantling colonialism and imperialism and share a long legacy of resistance against militarized violence and oppression. Recognizing these histories and their parallels today, we stand in solidarity with Gaza and Palestine.
Because of our work with schools and families, we are especially concerned about the impact of the current conflict, as well as how it is discussed or portrayed, on younger generations. We have already seen an increase in both Islamophobia and antisemitism, and we know that children and young people will bear a significant portion of this rising intolerance in schools and in public. We ask you, the friends of IHI, to communicate and listen to the young people in your lives, and most importantly reaffirm and champion their humanity. Rather than cloaking this trauma in silence, we encourage educators and others to engage in dialogue and foster empathy and education.
We find Zinn Education Project’s page, “Teaching about the Violence in Palestine and Israel,” to be a helpful resource for support, links, books, and lessons to discuss these topics in the classroom and beyond.
In Community,
Immigrant History Initiative
IHI Supports Black Lives Matter
At Immigrant History Initiative, we are dedicated to re-telling the history of the United States in ways that include the lives and experiences of people of color, beginning with the history of Asian Americans. This learning and un-learning process requires confronting the fact that America was built with the stolen labor of black slaves, and maintained by a system designed to dispossess black people of power, freedom and humanity.
It is the same system that imported thousands of Chinese laborers into the U.S., proposed to use them as a solution to the “problem” of emancipation, lynched them and expelled them from towns, and passed laws to exclude them. It is the same system that denied citizenship to immigrants of Asian origin for a century and imprisoned them on Angel Island for months to years as white officials interrogated the legality of their belonging. It is the same system that let the murderers of Vincent Chin off with a $3,000 fine after they beat him to death with a baseball bat for being a “Jap” who was stealing their jobs. It is the same system that incarcerated Japanese Americans during WWII, interrogated and deported Chinese Americans during the Cold War, surveilled and detained Muslim Americans after 9/11, and continues to challenge the belonging of people in this country because of the color of their skin.
It is also the same system that uses the myth of a “model minority” to oppress black people, while continuing to exclude and deny belonging to those that it purports to elevate to whiteness.
As much as learning this history has taught us that racism is deeply, historically entrenched and systemic, it has also taught us that solidarity can prevail against white supremacy. In the 1960s, Asian Americans protested with African Americans against racism, imperialism, war, and xenophobia. Black, Asian, and Latinx students came together to form the Third World Liberation Front to fight for ethnic studies and self-determination through education. African American activists advocated for an end to racist immigration laws and to welcome Southeast Asian refugees. Without the Civil Rights Movement, there would be no Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and the United States would not be as diverse as it is today. These stories are endless, but they have also been suppressed systematically in an education system that prioritizes certain narratives over others.
We are committed to using history and education to un-learn these problematic narratives and work toward a just and anti-racist society. This mission necessitates that we:
Through solidarity, we build power. If any of this history sounds unfamiliar to you, we urge you to educate yourselves on all of it. Our resources are provided for free online, and we will continue sharing other sources to give a deeper understanding of the history of racism in this country.
With love,
Immigrant History Initiative
Other BLM Resources:
1. Spreadsheet of Education Resources and Literature and list of Black owned bookstores and book clubs: https://tinyurl.com/ycj6wqje
2. Document of BLM resources: https://tinyurl.com/ycw3zs9q
3. Document of additional BLM resources: https://tinyurl.com/ybw2hdg5
4. Reading and Media List: Born Black in the "Age of Mass Incarceration": https://tinyurl.com/yaejno42
5. Black History Month Reading List for Asian Americans: https://18millionrising.org/2020/02/bhm_reads.html
It is the same system that imported thousands of Chinese laborers into the U.S., proposed to use them as a solution to the “problem” of emancipation, lynched them and expelled them from towns, and passed laws to exclude them. It is the same system that denied citizenship to immigrants of Asian origin for a century and imprisoned them on Angel Island for months to years as white officials interrogated the legality of their belonging. It is the same system that let the murderers of Vincent Chin off with a $3,000 fine after they beat him to death with a baseball bat for being a “Jap” who was stealing their jobs. It is the same system that incarcerated Japanese Americans during WWII, interrogated and deported Chinese Americans during the Cold War, surveilled and detained Muslim Americans after 9/11, and continues to challenge the belonging of people in this country because of the color of their skin.
It is also the same system that uses the myth of a “model minority” to oppress black people, while continuing to exclude and deny belonging to those that it purports to elevate to whiteness.
As much as learning this history has taught us that racism is deeply, historically entrenched and systemic, it has also taught us that solidarity can prevail against white supremacy. In the 1960s, Asian Americans protested with African Americans against racism, imperialism, war, and xenophobia. Black, Asian, and Latinx students came together to form the Third World Liberation Front to fight for ethnic studies and self-determination through education. African American activists advocated for an end to racist immigration laws and to welcome Southeast Asian refugees. Without the Civil Rights Movement, there would be no Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, and the United States would not be as diverse as it is today. These stories are endless, but they have also been suppressed systematically in an education system that prioritizes certain narratives over others.
We are committed to using history and education to un-learn these problematic narratives and work toward a just and anti-racist society. This mission necessitates that we:
- redouble our efforts to address anti-blackness through our curricula and resources;
- advocate to end police brutality against African Americans & other communities of color;
- Fight for Black Lives Matter, period.
Through solidarity, we build power. If any of this history sounds unfamiliar to you, we urge you to educate yourselves on all of it. Our resources are provided for free online, and we will continue sharing other sources to give a deeper understanding of the history of racism in this country.
With love,
Immigrant History Initiative
Other BLM Resources:
1. Spreadsheet of Education Resources and Literature and list of Black owned bookstores and book clubs: https://tinyurl.com/ycj6wqje
2. Document of BLM resources: https://tinyurl.com/ycw3zs9q
3. Document of additional BLM resources: https://tinyurl.com/ybw2hdg5
4. Reading and Media List: Born Black in the "Age of Mass Incarceration": https://tinyurl.com/yaejno42
5. Black History Month Reading List for Asian Americans: https://18millionrising.org/2020/02/bhm_reads.html
Statement on Atlanta Murders of 6 Asian Women
We at the Immigrant History Initiative are horrified but unsurprised by the news of the shooting outside Atlanta yesterday and the killing of 8 people. The majority of those killed were Asian women who worked at spas, during a time when working in public spaces has already put their health and safety at risk. We need to reflect on the gendered aspects of this violence.
IHI is a small, start-up nonprofit founded and run by two Asian women. As Asian women, we have lived our whole lives at the intersection of sexism and racism.
Asian women have had a long history of vilification in this country. They were one of the first targeted groups in a federal immigration law through the 1875 Page Act. For much of the 19th century, Asian women were excluded from the U.S. based on perceptions of them as sex workers and as reproductive threats to maintaining America's racial landscape. Early twentieth century films fetishized and demonized them, at the same time as white actors played them in yellow-face and won awards for their portrayals.
Asian women are frequently the target of sexualized jokes, intended to demean and dehumanize. Reports have found that up to 55% of Asian women in the U.S. have reported domestic violence during their lifetime. It is no accident that Asian women have been targeted disproportionately in hate incidents during COVID. It is no accident still that the perpetrator in Atlanta chose massage spas where Asian women worked as his targets. The shooting in Atlanta is yet another deadly manifestation of ignoring the intersectional needs of Asian women.
We won’t repeat what has already been voiced by many other organizations tirelessly working on addressing anti-Asian violence and fighting for the recognition that white supremacy and racism has affected and continues to deeply affect APIA communities. But we felt it essential to reflect on the gendered elements of what has happened, both yesterday and in this pandemic.
We are asking our beloved community to speak up and speak out. Stand up for friends, colleagues, loved ones, and strangers.
We need your help.
Sincerely,
Julia & Kathy
Co-Founders
Immigrant History Initiative
IHI is a small, start-up nonprofit founded and run by two Asian women. As Asian women, we have lived our whole lives at the intersection of sexism and racism.
Asian women have had a long history of vilification in this country. They were one of the first targeted groups in a federal immigration law through the 1875 Page Act. For much of the 19th century, Asian women were excluded from the U.S. based on perceptions of them as sex workers and as reproductive threats to maintaining America's racial landscape. Early twentieth century films fetishized and demonized them, at the same time as white actors played them in yellow-face and won awards for their portrayals.
Asian women are frequently the target of sexualized jokes, intended to demean and dehumanize. Reports have found that up to 55% of Asian women in the U.S. have reported domestic violence during their lifetime. It is no accident that Asian women have been targeted disproportionately in hate incidents during COVID. It is no accident still that the perpetrator in Atlanta chose massage spas where Asian women worked as his targets. The shooting in Atlanta is yet another deadly manifestation of ignoring the intersectional needs of Asian women.
We won’t repeat what has already been voiced by many other organizations tirelessly working on addressing anti-Asian violence and fighting for the recognition that white supremacy and racism has affected and continues to deeply affect APIA communities. But we felt it essential to reflect on the gendered elements of what has happened, both yesterday and in this pandemic.
We are asking our beloved community to speak up and speak out. Stand up for friends, colleagues, loved ones, and strangers.
We need your help.
Sincerely,
Julia & Kathy
Co-Founders
Immigrant History Initiative
