SF Camerawork Stands in Solidarity with Asian,
Asian-American, and Pacific Islander Communities

19 March 2021

Dear SF Camerawork Communities, 

SF Camerawork – our staff and our Board of Directors – condemns the relentless onslaught of racist and gendered violence against Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander people throughout the United States. 

We are angered, saddened, and sickened by the recent vitriolic and lethal attacks – not only in Atlanta and New York, but also here in the San Francisco Bay Area. To those of you who identify as Asian, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander, please know that you are a vital part of our SF Camerawork communities – and we value you.

Attacks against Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander people have escalated since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic - with Asian-American people reporting nearly 4,000 instances of hate-related violence since March 2020. And women of Asian descent have suffered the violence disproportionately.

We specifically write in the wake of the murders of women of Asian descent in Atlanta on March 16, 2021. Yet we also understand and acknowledge that gendered and racialized violence is not new. The recent tragedies are the latest in a string of systemic discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and violence dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries. The hypersexualization – and in the process, dehumanization – of Asian women is another dimension that cannot be overlooked, especially in the context of the murders in Atlanta. Lastly, we acknowledge the unique challenge that members of Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities face in expressing their struggles, as the "model minority" myth is weaponized to erase lived experiences.

At SF Camerawork, we are committed to the values of cultural equity and social justice for all. We seek to maintain a space that promotes inclusion, belonging, and understanding. In that spirit, we are sharing additional resources to support those in AAPI communities. And we will continue to share and amplify the image-making and viewpoints of those in our AAPI artist and intellectual communities. We ask that you join us in these efforts.

We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of all who have been targeted, attacked, and even all too tragically killed because of irrational hatred. We hope that people in AAPI communities know that they are and will be welcomed at SF Camerawork.

With sincerity and commitment,

Michelle Branch
Board President, SF Camerawork