Sanford Heisler Sharp Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Group’s Statement on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month

This final day of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month does not mark the end of the AAPI community’s efforts in shaping a more inclusive work environment and society. For centuries, the AAPI community has shown resilience and strength in face of systemic racism in the United States. With early pioneers including Wong Kim Ark and Fred Korematsu fighting for equality on behalf of AAPI immigrants, we are fortunate to be able to build on this solid foundation as we seek to improve the legal rights and living conditions of the AAPI community. Today, activists and advocacy groups leading the Stop Asian Hate protests continue to be at the forefront in the fight for fair working conditions and social equality.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, criminal incidents targeting the AAPI community have more than doubled. According to the nonprofit organization Stop AAPI Hate, more than 10,000 hate incidents against AAPI individuals have been reported between March 2020 and December 2021—from violent attacks on streets and public transport to mass shootings in Orange County and. We express our profound sympathy to those who have fallen victim to gun violence and anti-AAPI hate crimes, as well as their families. These recent events, while saddening, reflect how there is still a lot more to be done. Sanford Heisler Sharp stands in solidarity with the AAPI community in its journey to advancing equity and social justice. Our Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Group, in particular, continues to advocate for AAPI individuals who have encountered workplace discrimination and inequality. We also strive for diversity in recruitment, to include lawyers who understand AAPI clients’ plights in their languages
and cultures.

With AAPI hate crimes on the rise, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the nation’s largest Asian Pacific American bar association, has put together a list of Anti-Asian Hate resources that provides basic and critical information for victims and the AAPI community at large. We have attached NAPABA’s Combat Hate Crimes Toolkit for circulation. Translated versions in different AAPI languages are available for download on NAPABA’s Anti-Asian Hate Resources page.

We celebrate AAPI community and other racial minorities as an indispensable part of American culture and history. In this nation of immigrants, we shall all stand firm as allies in the concerted effort toward unity and inclusion.

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