The Fair Chance for Housing coalition condemns racism in all its forms.
At yesterday's hearing, there was racist rhetoric throughout the day. We must be able to debate issues and have a public discourse without resorting to prejudice and bias. There is no place for racist and hurtful comments, whether against Asian, Black, or brown community members.
During the hearing, we heard many people use language like “criminal,” “ex-con,” and “monster,” to describe our neighbors – to describe fellow human beings. We know that language has power. Dehumanizing labels stereotype and marginalize people, and they do not reflect our full identities.
Unfortunately, we also heard anti-Asian rhetoric, which has no place in our fight for liberation. Our coalition aims to acknowledge and respect every person’s full humanity. We are working toward a City where each and every New Yorker is treated with dignity, and each and every New Yorker has a home.
We recognize that both anti-Black and anti-Asian bias is a result of systemic racism. We must dismantle these systems of oppression and discrimination that hold us all down.