Dear Friends,

We, members of Japanese Americans for Justice, are outraged by the killing of George Floyd by police, and we are calling on our community to ACT NOW. We demand all four officers be charged with murder in Mr. Floyd’s death and we demand justice for all victims of anti-Black, anti-Trans, and anti-Indigenous violence.
We are also outraged at the role of the Asian police officer in Mr. Floyd’s death. While Asian Americans have been harmed by oppression, we are also complicit in perpetuating a culture of anti-Black racism. The way we can honor George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many others who have died at the hands of law enforcement – is by doing more to end white supremacy.

White supremacy created and perpetuates a Black/white binary. The closer one’s proximity to Blackness and Indigeneity, the more dehumanized and the less their basic rights are acknowledged and respected. So long as the binary stands, oppression of all people of color will continue.
We see this time and again as history repeats itself. From the mass incarceration of our community in concentration camps during WWII to the mass detention and forced separation of immigrant families today. We cannot ‘Close the Camps’ and end this pattern of racist dehumanization without ending anti-Blackness.

Now is the time for Japanese Americans to:

• Organize in solidarity and fight against white supremacy – its laws, culture, and enforcers
• Fight the anti-Blackness within ourselves, our families and communities
• Demand our cities reduce funding to police budgets
• Call out and disrupt anti-Black racism
• Support and donate to Black-led organizations and campaigns
• Support the protests that are necessary for justice for the families who have lost their loved ones
• Support reparations and redress for African-Americans

Together we raise our voices, ganbaru spirits, and fists in the air!

Join us by signing your name to the pledge here or online at:
bit.ly/signtheJApledge