The Bar Association of San Francisco and the Justice & Diversity Center Condemn Racism & Xenophobia
March 19, 2021, San Francisco — The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) and the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) condemn racism, xenophobia, and misogyny in response to the attacks on Asians in San Francisco and the Bay Area, and more recently the murders of eight people in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16, 2021. While the motivation of the gunman in Atlanta is not clear at this time, six of the victims were Asian women. This is yet another example of how people of Asian and Pacific Island descent are increasingly the victims of violence and discrimination. We cannot, and do not, ignore the intersectionality and indivisibility of racism, xenophobia, and misogyny in the violent and hateful actions.
According to a report released by the Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate reporting center (stopaapihate.org), nationwide there were 3,800 reported incidents in the last year, and women of Asian and Pacific Island descent represented a disproportionate share of the victims.
Dismantling the racism, discrimination, xenophobia, and misogyny in our country requires a full community response. The Bar Association of San Francisco and the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco are united in our call for an end to violence and discrimination in all its forms against those in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the nation.
The stakes are too high to allow racism, xenophobia, and misogyny to distract from what is most vital: Focusing our collective energies on getting through this pandemic and lifting up the most vulnerable among us.
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The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) advances fairness and equality by providing pro bono legal services to low-income people and educational programs that foster diversity in the legal profession. JDC is the largest legal services providers in San Francisco. JDC’s programs serve approximately 9,500 disadvantaged San Franciscans a year, with the overarching goal of assisting the community’s most vulnerable members with accessing the judicial system and strengthening their personal, professional, and economic security.
The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is a nonprofit voluntary membership organization of attorneys, law students, and legal professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1872, BASF enjoys the support of more than 7,500 individuals, law firms, corporate legal departments, and law schools. BASF provides a collective voice for public advocacy, advances professional growth and education, and attempts to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, and respect in the practice of law.