Category Archives: Fighting Racism

US Government: Stop the Genocidal War against the Palestinians, and Stop Abusing Women of Color Internally by Abolishing the 24-hour Workday

The US government supports the Israeli government in continuing to harm the Palestinian people, which has aroused worldwide indignation and sympathy for the Palestinian people.

In order to obtain maximum oil benefits in the Middle East, the US government supports the Israeli government as its vicious dog, constantly barking and creating conflicts, maintaining a “no war, no peace” situation, so that the US can exert influence. Historically, with the support of the US government, the Israeli government has continued to divide and occupy Palestinian land. It has treated Palestinians as worthless, forcing them to live in crowded and narrow areas such as the Gaza Strip, imposing an economic blockade on them, and separating them with walls. Palestine is therefore known as “the largest open-air prison in the world”!

How can the Palestinians not resist when they live in fear and oppression every day? Without the backing of the US government, how would the Israeli government dare to ignore the opposition from around the world and insist on bombing and invading the Gaza Strip? Even for the most basic United Nations resolution for a ceasefire, the US government disregarded other countries and exercised its veto power to stop it. In addition to the rising number of casualties every day, the two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing large-scale displacement as they are cut off from electricity and water: in just ten days after the Israeli government “declared war”, more than 60% Palestinians were forced to move! If they did not flee, they would be killed. Through this genocidal war, the US government is creating another migrant crisis, attracting condemnation from people at home and abroad, including Jews. We call on everyone to oppose this war and ask President Biden to stop the war immediately!

To start and maintain wars abroad, the US government has relied on exploiting and oppressing people internally. With the support of the government, insurance companies and home care agencies are forcing women of color home attendants to work inhumane 24-hour workdays, destroying their health and families day in and day out, and only pay them 13 hours a day. There is no such anti-human work arrangement anywhere else in the world! As the Speaker of the City Council, Adrienne Adams has been refusing to put the “No More 24 Act” to a vote to stop this crime against humanity and allow unscrupulous bosses to continue to harm us. It is unreasonable for the government to help these unscrupulous bosses suck our blood and sweat while also using our money to support the war!

In New York City, we must unite with all groups and individuals who support justice and oppose war and oppression, to stop the US government’s oppression against people internally, such as the racist violence against women of color, and to collectively improve our working and living conditions. Demand City Council Speaker Adams: Put the “No More 24 Act” to a vote and abolish the 24-hour workday, otherwise step down immediately!

Condemn the Racist Violence of Memphis Police!

Recently, a video of police violence in Memphis was made public, recording the process of a Black man Nichols being brutally beaten to death by five Black policemen in the street. It caused public outcry across the United States. Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association condemned the racist violence of the Memphis police, and called on the Memphis city government to investigate why these Black police officers discriminate against and hate Black people so much, and abolish the racist policing policy in addition to disbanding SCORPION.

 

This violent incident is a reflection of systemic racism in the United States, which needs to be resolved systemically. The US only protects the rich and treats working people as mud, especially Blacks and other people of color. The richest people at the top and the government representing their interests used to use Whites to oppress people of color, but now they use people of color to bully and discriminate against their own race. They promote faces of people of color in various communities as “representatives” of “racial equality” to perpetuate exploitation and oppression. Inside the communities, these so-called “representatives” oppress their own groups even more. Outside, they pretend to be symbols of “progress” and “anti-racism” and act as a fig leaf for systemic racism. Like Memphis, Black policemen are used to carry out violence against black people, thinking that this way they can not be accused of racism.

Statement on AMNY’s Coverage of the “Chinzilla” Poster

On Dec 3rd, AMNY published a news article titled “Political leaders say Lower East Side fliers are hate-filled smears against local lawmakers.” The article quotes the political leaders from East Village who accused the poster on the storefront of National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS) of being racist. This poster illustrates Chinzilla–a monster with the body of Godzilla from Japanese movies, and the head of Margaret Chin, Chinese-American Council Member. The article also gives Chin a platform to say how “hurtful” she thinks the poster is.

Chin describing the poster as “hurtful” is like a thief crying out when she sees her picture on a wanted poster. Chin is notoriously known in the Chinese community as a sellout politician who carries out the City’s racist displacement agenda — benefiting rich developers and destroying Chinatown and the Lower East Side, a neighborhoodpredominantly of Chinese, Black and Latinos who work, live and operate small businesses. The “Chinzilla” poster is an accurate depiction of Chin’s destruction of our community for more than a decade, a reflection of our community’s outrage towards her racism and displacement.

Therefore, we are angry about the AMNY’s coverage that helps the smear attack from the East Village political leaders. These people who wrote the complaint about the poster are the same ones who supported the East Village Rezoning in 2008 — a protective plan against luxury high-rises for the wealthier, white neighborhood of East Village — but denied Chinatown & Lower East Side the same protection. At that time, Chin was the head of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) which, despite its name, ironically supported this racist rezoning plan. Our community has been calling these people out as racists or supporting racist policies. 

For the last 10 years, our community has been pushing the passage of the entire Chinatown Working Group (CWG) Rezoning Plan to have the same protection as East Village. Why don’t the accusers of the poster say anything about their own racism or the racist policies against Chinese and other people of color? Why didn’t AMNY cover the protests in the Chinese community against Chin? Do they know that Chin, in response to the community’s outcry, actually doubled down her racist act by proposing to divide the CWG plan? Her proposal would protect only a small part of Chinatown and exclude Blacks, Latinos and Chinese in the Lower East Side. This caused a lot of uproar in our community. 

NMASS, Chinese Staff and Workers Association (CSWA) and other organizations came together and stopped her divisive efforts. How dare AMNY and those accusers, whocome from outside neighborhood or don’t know this history, accuse NMASS of being racist without any investigation? NMASS has consistently spoken out against racism upon people of color, whether it comes from White, Chinese or other people of color, whether from sweatshop bosses or from politicians. NMASS is a teaching example for usChinese people, as it leads the fight to unify people across boundaries to speak out against racism and displacement. The “Chinzilla” poster is one example of such effort. We would like to further spread the poster at our center and on the storefront. On behalf of our community, we would also like to award the artist of the poster $1000 to continue to create art to battle racism.

To AMNY and those who criticized the poster: If you are genuine about fighting racism, you should cover and support our fight against the City’s racist displacement agenda, instead of supporting racist policies or helping amplify racist politicians’ words.

Wing Lam

Executive director
Chinese Staff and Workers Association

Join First Chinese Presbyterian home care workers to say: Pay the Workers Now & No More 24-hour Workdays!

Home care workers at First Chinese Presbyterian have been fighting to end the 24-hour workday and for back pay for the years they worked 24-hours while only being paid 13 hours. These workers work 24-hour shifts caring for elderly, disabled and ill people who need around-the-clock care in their homes. Hundreds of workers have spoken out against the 24-hour workdays, testifying to the damage working days on end without proper rest has had on their health and their family life and how splitting 24-hour shifts into at least two shifts of 12 would help protect them, and enable them to provide proper care to those requiring it.   Despite knowing this, FCP works with insurance companies to continue the 24-hour workdays and refuses to right its wrong by paying back the workers what they are owed. Are these the values and beliefs FCP stands for? Is this how the agency treats its workers and those who receive care?   Join workers to demand FCP pay back the workers now and to call on Governor Cuomo to stop the 24-hour shifts immediately and ensure the agency and insurance companies pay back the workers.     Join home attendants and other workers!Wednesday, December 11, 11amFirst Chinese Presbyterian Home Care Agency, 30 Broad Street, New York, NY