Posted on April 21, 2021 Author HAP Categories News Articles
April 21, 2021
The Hmong American Partnership (HAP) welcomes the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin as a sign of justice and a way to uphold George Floyd’s humanity. This decision is an important signal that Black lives matter.
But this conviction is only a first step towards justice. Today and every day we must also remember the names of the many Black people killed at the hand of police that should be alive today, and have still not gotten justice: Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Jamar Clarke, Tamir Rice and many others whose families should not have to grieve them.
The video footage from George Floyd’s arrest, now affirmed by yesterday’s murder conviction, showed the grim reality that many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) face daily. It is painful to know that systemic racism and anti-Blackness in our own communities leads to Black death. It is in these moments that our shared oppression makes our voices stronger together.
As Hmong leaders, we will continue to work to dismantle the systems that create barriers to our collective advancement. We must not fall prey into divide and conquer strategies that weaken our fight against institutional racism and white supremacy. We will seek, learn, share, and affirm our unique histories and unlearn the dominant narratives that silo and divide us. We stand in solidarity to invest in each other’s liberation.