The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) stands united with Asian Americans across the country in the wake of the horrific attack in Atlanta. 

We are appalled by the rise in the number of hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as the proliferation of anti-Asian conspiracy theories and scapegoating – that has unfortunately been promulgated at every level of government – as a result of the pandemic.

We welcome the House Judiciary Committee hearings today on discrimination and violence directed towards Asian-Americans, and urge the United States Government and all relevant actors to take immediate steps to address this most abhorrent rise in racially motivated violence. 

The attack in Atlanta should never have happened, but reflects the failure to comprehensively combat systematic racism and misogyny witnessed in recent years.

No community should have to live in fear of violence. We express our heartfelt sorrow for the tragic loss of life, and stand in solidarity with Asian-Americans across the country as we pledge to work towards combating the incitement and perpetration of racially-motivated violence wherever and whenever it occurs.