San Francisco Becomes 4th California City To Apologize To Chinese Community For Racist Past
- CNN/MSN, Feb. 3, 2022. Ed.
San Francisco is formally apologizing to its Chinese residents for discriminatory actions taken during the city's storied history. The Board of Supervisors passed the apology resolution presented by city supervisor Matt Haney on Monday, coinciding with the Lunar New Year.
Citing heinous behavior from the mid-1800s when the city was taking shape, the resolution acknowledges "the shameful history of structural and systematic racism and discrimination against Chinese immigrants and the Chinese American community by the City and County of San Francisco (that) reaches back over 150 years and touched every aspect of life including employment, housing, education and culture."
A violent three-day riot targeting Chinese Americans in 1877 was also among the racist incidents for which the supervisors apologized. But anti-Asian sentiment has yet to be erased from San Francisco. Just last week, a federal lawsuit was filed by the Alliance for Asian American Justice against the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and the City and County of San Francisco, seeking to institute procedures that protect the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and ensure equal protection for justice.
'It's the right thing to do': Although discriminatory laws against Asians in San Francisco have since been overturned, most through the courts, the resolution is a significant gesture toward acknowledging the injustices of the past. With the recent high-profile cases of Anti-Asian hate, lawmakers and cities across the US are working to address bias toward Asian communities. University of Calif. Berkeley student, Drew Min expressed how San Francisco's apology was both an overdue and difficult to process as a Korean American. He notes such a public statement is a promising step toward curbing anti-Asian hate crimes in the US and to creating a better future for the Asian and Pacific Islander community...
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