Speaking out in support of our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community

Last year in the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, we released a statement in support of our Black communities, in support of justice, and in support of anti-racist policies. With the recent hate crimes against the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community, racism, misogyny, and violence against sex workers that we’ve seen transpire, we feel it’s important to revisit that statement as part of our ongoing efforts to listen, change, and denounce the cisgender white terrorism that exists in our city and in our country.

As a public agency, it is our job to equitably serve our BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists, organizations, and community members, who are doing incredible work to make our city not only safer, but a place where they can thrive. 

As we reflect the voices of Boston’s artist community and the inequities deeply embedded in our city, we also acknowledge that articulating our support of specific communities and condemning white supremacy in moments of profound tragedy is barely scratching the surface. We see and are subject to the many ways that structural racism, sexism, and ableism come together to inflict complex harms, discrimination, and hate. This requires more from us and from city government to center and operate from a deep understanding of intersectionality.

As the Office of Arts and Culture, we know that hateful acts of violence are perpetrated against many of the communities we serve every day, and all of these acts of violence should be denounced. Furthermore, we strive to communicate our values and celebrate our communities in moments of joy rather than only speaking out in times of tragedy. We will continue to provide ongoing updates on how our office is working toward building antiracist and equity-driven values and frameworks into our policies and programs. While we are committed to being truly equitable in all areas of our work, we are only at the beginning. We also believe that statements, policies, relationships, and investments matter, but have more impact when done together.  

We stand by our words from 2020 — that we “urge all of our cultural organizations, institutions, and spaces to consider their role in upholding inequitable policies and ask that we all recommit to action.” Please take actionable steps to show your support for our AAPI communities. Some resources and organizations to support are below.