Xenophobia and racism toward the Asian Canadian and Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities has risen significantly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent incident in Atlanta comes in the context of a broader, deeply disturbing trend of anti-Asian racism and violence seen in both the US and Canada. We stand as an ally with these communities and condemn the horrific acts of hate and violence targeting the Asian community and more specifically, attacks against women, the elderly and most vulnerable. Hemlock is dedicated to confronting racial injustice and hateful incidents and educating our employees on important matters facing our Asian colleagues and the Asian community at large.
Hemlock’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is dedicated to creating a diverse and equitable workforce that is safe and inclusive for everyone, including those of Asian descent.
These tragic events reinforce the urgency of actions Hemlock is taking to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and the broader community:
- We are committed to being an anti-racist organization and will embrace opportunities to educate and inform staff of the issue of anti-Asian discrimination in the workplace
- We will support our managers and employees to check-in on fellow colleagues of Asian descent
- We will use social media to spread awareness
- We will lend our support to organizations working to address anti-Asian racism as part of our broader diversity, equity, and inclusions efforts, both inside our company and within the wider community
To learn more or to report an incident of anti-Asian harassment, please visit Fight COVID Racism (fightcovidracism.ca) and Stop AAPI Hate (stopaapihate.org).
#FaceRace #StopAsianHate