An Open Letter from CAP to the AAPI Community
To the Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities of Oregon and SW Washington,
I’m writing this open letter on behalf of Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) to first and foremost condemn the racist violence experienced by Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. This event has brought to light that, as an organization, we too have participated in systems that have failed the AAPI community. I want to apologize and acknowledge that our work with and advocacy for your communities in Oregon and SW Washington has been lacking. Our time for showing up at the table is long overdue, and I am deeply sorry that CAP has not been historically more responsive.
This is not the first time I have found myself in this position, and in full commitment to our ongoing equity, inclusion, and justice journey at CAP; I also must acknowledge that it may not be the last.
CAP strongly condemns this latest violence that has persisted throughout the history of our country and has seen a recent rise since the start of the pandemic when our former president, as well as many of our nations currently elected leaders, have continued to incite and encourage anti-Asian sentiment by repeatedly calling COVID-19 the “China virus” or the “Chinese virus” or the “Kung Flu.”
Earlier this week, the massacre of seven women (six of them Asian American) and one man in Georgia serves as a reminder that once again, the currents of anti-Asian and misogynistic hate still flow strongly in our country. In addition to these Atlanta spa shootings, we have seen numerous acts of violence against the AAPI community in just the past few weeks across the country and right here in our own backyard.
As a key component of CAP’s new strategic plan, we acknowledge that in order to foster an equitable organization, we must start by centering inclusion, justice, education, empowerment, and accountability within our community. For more than three decades, CAP has tirelessly advocated for changes to public policies that marginalize people because of who they are. But today, I want to personally commit CAP to take a stronger stand against violence and racism toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by first and foremost acknowledging the harm caused previously by CAP’s absence and silence.
So, I am reaching out to you today with humility and respect to take responsibility for our missteps of the past, to validate the experiences you may have had with our organization over time, and to humbly ask for your help in rebuilding a relationship of mutual trust and respect so that those in the AAPI community who are living with or impacted by HIV can more easily learn about and access the services they need in the culturally responsive manner that they deserve.
On a personal note, as a Black Queer man living with HIV, over the last year, I have learned quite a bit about healing justice and its aims to address widespread generational trauma from systemic violence and oppression by reviving ancestral healing practices and building new, more inclusive ones. I have found community in an amazing group of brilliant BIPOC researchers, scientists, and community leaders, and I am humbled by the lessons we are teaching one another.
These moments have helped me understand how I show up as a leader, how I show up for the team I work with, and how I show up for myself. I know my own lived experiences and trauma as a light-skinned Black Queer man, but I also understand the privilege I have and the discord it can create when working with other non-Black people of color. I recognize that I have not endured the experiences they have been through in the same ways. I do not know what their life has been like, nor do I pretend that I do. It has also further underscored for me how systems in our nation have been designed to pit Black and Brown folx against one another and how powerful it could be if, in solidarity, we could co-create pathways across communities of color toward liberation, sovereignty, and decolonization.
The management guru Peter Drucker famously said, “What gets measured, gets managed.” How can Oregon “manage” institutional racism in healthcare or social determinants of health when we don’t measure even the most basic characteristics of this population? We cannot achieve health equity without achieving data justice for all communities that have traditionally been furthest from access and opportunity. That means accurately collecting data that reflects the enormous diversity of our society and appropriately disaggregating those data and statistics to better inform health policy and health care. This is one of the primary reasons CAP recently introduced The Data Justice Act (House Bill 3159) in the Oregon Legislature to ensure that all communities count – that, in this case, the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are literally COUNTED!
While I have the framework on how racial inequity, discrimination, and bias present in our culture, this is not enough. Racial equity work is an ongoing process that, at times, can be painfully awakening. Unlike reading a textbook and memorizing terms, racial equity work requires learning and unlearning. It requires deep interrogation of how we show up in our personal lives, our careers, and our communities. It requires us to consider how we build our relationships to uplift each other. And it requires discovering and acknowledging the faults and biases of oneself, challenging our own perspectives, and being disciplined in the pursuit of equity for all. It requires being better and doing better.
We all must continue supporting actions to combat anti-AAPI violence and racism. Now, this conversation starts with an apology. Next, this conversation must move towards action. Moving forward, we are committed to calling on elected officials and other community leaders to increase local efforts that will redefine community safety and ensure that those who commit criminal offenses against the AAPI people are held accountable.
With Humility,
Tyler TerMeer, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Cascade AIDS Project
