Requesting Peace and Understanding for the AAPI Community
The Board of Directors and Staff of The Potters’ Studio extend our condolences to everyone affected by the horrific shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. We recognize that these senseless acts of violence repeatedly undermine our feelings of safety and are especially disturbing when they target specific communities. The Lunar New Year should be a time of celebration for many Asian families, and these acts of violence brought grief and despair during a time of celebration and hope.
Unfortunately, these events are becoming more the norm instead of the anomaly and we will continue to find ourselves wringing our hands in despair as long as nothing is done about the underlying systems of oppression that make human life disposable. Anti-Asian racism is not new in this country, and yet it has intensified greatly in the last few years due to hateful and malicious propaganda surrounding COVID-19 and China. We reject racist narratives that try to turn these events into fodder for more xenophobia and Sinophobia, which only serves to create new cycles of violence. TPS stands in solidarity with the AAPI community and AAPI-led social justice organizations, networks, and groups who are building coalitions and an environment of mutual understanding and respect for all human life.
We hope you can find a way to cope with senseless acts of violence and maybe even take active steps to turn this behavior around. Whatever you do, know that TPS is concerned and supports the peace and freedom from violence that we all seek.