To the Oregon Shakespeare Festival community,
With the murder of eight people including seven AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) in Atlanta at the hands of white supremacists, and the violent beatings including the very public beating of a 65-year-old AAPI woman in New York City, violence against citizens of the Global Majority is on the rise. We regard these acts as intentional and targeted racial hatred.
We recognize the escalation in attacks against the AAPI community that have happened since this event, and before then, and we cannot stand by.
Racial discrimination and violence cannot be tolerated. As Stacey Abrams said: “Hatred is infectious and cumulative—it begins with pejoratives about race and evolves into acts of unspeakable violence. We must do more than condemn. Our responsibility is to protect and defend. By word and deed.”
Violence against the AAPI community is not new to our country, or community. The rhetoric, spewed by the former administration and that continues to proliferate online, has created a 150% increase in racially charged crimes against this community over the last year. And because many fear retaliation when reporting these crimes, that statistic is considered to be lower than the reality.
It’s not enough to say that our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those murdered. We stand in solidarity with the AAPI members of our OSF family and our country.
Sincerely,
Nataki Garrett, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival
David Schmitz, Executive Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival