CONTACT:
Silvia Lew
Co-Chair, Media & Publicity Committee
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
communications@apalaweb.org
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) recognizes the collective grief that the militarism in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel has caused our members and loved ones. APALA represents Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders whose communities have survived the violence of imperialism, colonialism, and displacement, and we stand firmly against the ongoing oppression affecting Jewish, Arabic, Muslim, and West Asian communities.
We hope for the continued return of Israeli hostages following the initial violent attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,300 Israeli citizens. Since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, the Israeli army has begun a relentless retaliation campaign, which has killed at least 7,000 Palestinians living in the Gaza strip–the majority of whom are women and children. This campaign has displaced approximately one million Palestinians through continuous airstrikes and artillery, while also denying them basic supplies such as food, water, electricity, and humanitarian aid.
APALA denounces these violent acts against civilians, and recognizes the ongoing collective punishment as acts of genocide, violating international law. As an organization, we advocate for every individual’s basic right of liberty and peaceful existence, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. We are concerned about the ongoing violence against Palestinians and the Islamaphobic backlash against those racialized as Arab or Muslim across the U.S. We also recognize the rise in antisemitism that stems from this conflict. Additionally, we acknowledge that a system rooted in oppression and white supremacy creates hostility and violence against people of the global majority. We stand firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the misinformation being spread following these tragic events.
We call for an immediate ceasefire and access to critical resources and humanitarian aid restored. Join us in taking action: Call to action toolkit.
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Founded in 1980, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations to APALA are tax deductible and support our work for library services, programs, scholarships, awards, and grants related to library services benefiting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders and AANHPI library staff.