For Immediate Release
August 18, 2017
Contact: Alexa Mauzy-Lewis, Camino PR
212.255.2575 / alexa@caminopr.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On August 15th, President Donald Trump failed to denounce the white supremacists who committed violent acts of terrorism in Charlottesville over the weekend, instead stating multiple times that “there is blame on both sides”. Trump proceeded to defend the white supremacists while criticizing the “alt-left”, who he claimed were “very, very violent”. The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) condemns these remarks made by Trump. Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow issued the following statement in response:

“There is only one side to hatred and bigotry and none of us can be silent on this issue. Trump’s remarks are a defense of white supremacy veiled in words of neutrality. His reckless statements have once again emboldened white supremacists to act violently in the name of racism, anti-Semitism, and misogyny. In the month following Trump’s election, there were over 1,000 bias-related incidents against immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ folks, and people of color. Since the inauguration, the number of hate crimes has steadily increased. The events in Charlottesville prove that white supremacists no longer fear being caught and will continue to violently attack and even kill those who stand in their way.

“Trump’s careless remarks, which portrayed these white supremacists as victims of the “alt-left”, have only encouraged them. The former leader of the Ku Klux Klan supported these statements. There are at least nine more white supremacist rallies planned for this weekend. What Trump said could endanger the lives of women, people of color, LGBTQ people, immigrants, religious minorities, indigenous people, and people with disabilities.

“Here at NAPAWF, we will not stay silent as white supremacists threaten our communities. We will do what the President has not and call them out. Asian American and Pacific Islander women have a long history of standing in solidarity with minority communities against hatred and bigotry and we will continue to do so. We’ve chosen our side.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing, and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for AAPI women and girls.