Statement on Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans Pacific Islanders
We, the Writers Guild of America East, stand with our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) screenwriter and journalist members against the latest wave of hate crimes against Asians across the country. As members, we recognize that we can play a key role in changing misperceptions about Asian Americans, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Within our guild, our Asian American Salon meets regularly to showcase, unite and provide a community for our AAPI TV and screenwriter members. A year ago, we kicked off the Asian American Writers of Entertainment for East Coast–based AAPI members and non-members who work in and around the business. Our journalist members at shops including Gimlet, Slate and HuffPost are pushing anti-racism agendas in their employment contracts.
But we can all do more. As writers of television, film, broadcast news and digital news, we pledge to do better by A) uplifting our Asian American writer members and their voices; B) giving careful consideration to our portrayal of fictional characters of Asian descent; C) covering their communities fairly, accurately and prominently. To that end, we will continue to plan educational events and trainings for our members and conduct outreach to our AAPI members.
There is no place for racism in the media or in our country. #StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate
BE AN ALLY:
- Report incidents and donate to StopAAPIHate
- Follow AAPI news sources:
HELP AND RESOURCES FOR AAPI:
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March 4, 2021
