We Belong To America

By: Elaine Lehman

 

Central to every being is the wish to feel safe. It is a right that belongs to no singular race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or ethnicity. But as we approach the nineteenth anniversary of September 11, we continue to ask, Why? Why were nineteen men willing to kill Americans? Today, we ask Why? as we see many people in our country who remain unsafe not from international terrorist groups, but from domestic right-wing terrorism from white supremacists and hostility, assault, and bias due to racism, religious discrimination, and prejudice. We are seeing too many instances that show people to be unsafe while carrying out ordinary, everyday acts of life.

The September 11 attacks have affected Americans in multitudi-nous ways. For many within many minority and ethnic communities, the horrors live on. Immigration has replaced terrorism as a top concern. Hate crimes targeting a diversifying base of minority and religious groups have increased. The boundaries between immigration and crime control have blurred, caricaturing documented and undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers as childlike, criminal, or subhuman. Federal law enforcement officials have begun to work more closely with state and local law enforcement agents to police compliance with federal immigration laws, and a few federal lawmakers are seeking to institutionalize the growing coöperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement through legislation.

Since September 11, Americans of Muslim and Arab ancestry have been stigmatized and have experienced an increase in anti- Muslim bigotry and intimidation. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group with chapters across the country, had recorded 1,664 hate crimes against Muslims in 2018, and includes “daily acts of bullying or discriminations in schools, workplaces and in public are not included in the F.B.I.’s analysis, which focused on violent crimes.” The Los Angeles Times reported that a substantial number of American Muslims — whose lives changed measurably after the September 11 attack — are Black.

The September 11 attacks have instilled a harmful fear in America that lingers. This is attributed to hate speech and fear-mongering.

In 2018, The New York Times reported the largest spike in hate crimes since September 11, 2001. “the F.B.I. said there were 4,571 reported hate crimes against people, many of them in America’s largest cities,” The victims represented a cross-section of society, with African Americans and Jewish Americans the most targeted victims increasing in both aggressiveness and physicality. Anti-Latino bias accounted for a significant upswing of twelve percent in violent assaults in 2018. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 2,100 Asian Americans (includes Filipinos) COVID 19-related hate incidents were reported between March 1 and June 2020. According to the Chinese for Affirmative Action, eleven per-cent of those attacked were elderly.

We are at an inflection point. The tragedy of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer has ignited a renewed conversation about who we are as a country, but we continue to bear repeated witness to the pain and suffering and unequal treatment under the law. It is imperative that our Government take urgent steps to prevent racist and xenophobic violence and address economic disenfranchisement and social and health inequities.

The Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago is guided by the Filipino tradition of bayanihan “community”, welcoming others, and is committed to American ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and inquiry. Our work is grounded in cultural experiences that nourish by inspiring learning and dialogue; foster appreciation and understanding; celebrate our vibrant, diverse communities, and place in American society; and call upon us to help nurture a more just and equitable society.

We stand in solidarity with those who working collectively for communities to come together and look inward to assess their equity footprints and the net values of their actions, and show on how we can do better to confront racism and inequities and advance society in the proper spirit Our survival in the face of social turbulence, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic compel us to do so.

As in the days, months, and years following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, people often ask what they can do. There are many options: Calling or helping with simple errands for vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly and he disabled who may be isolated; Completing your 2020 Census form; Making sure you have registered and will vote in the presidential election on November 3. These are important actions that can make a big difference in well-deserved representation and resources for our communities. We, free and equal, belong to America.

In solidarity. In tribute to all lost on September 11, 2001. In all we do, we remember them.