by Dow Constantine, King County Executive

As we work to fight the spread of COVID-19 in our community, we stand together against the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 and the rise of aggression, racism, and violence aimed at Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

We are always stronger together. That is the promise of our diversity and shared future.

We are again witnessing how racist rhetoric locally and nationally is fueling fear, separation, and blame, and harming individuals, children, and communities. These incidents of hate and bias are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. We condemn all acts of hate and violence and stand against anti-Asian hate and violence.

We stand with the truth that Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are in no way responsible for the coronavirus. Yet they have been targeted and blamed during this crisis and have been the focus of hate crimes that, until recently, have largely been left out of mainstream media. Although this has been the case nationally as hate crimes have increased over the last year, King County, through its Office of Equity and Social Justice, has supported the Coalition Against Hate and Bias, which works closely with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to support King County’s Asian American communities and others that continually experience hate and bias incidents.

In these times of uncertainty, we must stay true to our values. Two of King County’s core values are to be racially just and to respect all people. We must do everything in our power to stay true to these values, stand together, and reject racism and discrimination. Racism is a public health crisis. If we are to heal ourselves and our communities, we must oppose this harm and truly model how communities can live and thrive together. 

King County offers resources about how to work together to decrease stigma and the harm it causes. Learn more with these anti-stigma resources. Understand your workplace rights and responsibilities in King County’s Nondiscrimination, Anti-Harassment & Inappropriate Conduct Policy. Find out how to report harassment and discrimination and also access COVID-19 and anti-racism resources here.

If you would like to speak with someone about how these incidents are affecting you, King County provides two free services to employees that offer professional support and advice: the Employee Assistance Program and Making Life Easier. Both resources are free and confidential. You can also reach out to one of our Employee Resource/Affinity Groups for support and community.

By standing together and working together we can build a shared future free of racism, violence, and hate.