WASHINGTON, D.C. / March 2, 2007 — The Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund) condemns in the harshest terms Kenneth Eng's article "Why I Hate Blacks," which appeared in the February 23rd edition of AsianWeek newspaper. The article is hateful and racist and contributes nothing to a discussion of race relations in the United States.

AsianWeek, which purports to be the "voice of the Asian American community," has issued an apology, severed ties with Eng, and promised to review its editorial procedures to ensure this never happens again. In the coming months, the AAA-Fund will be monitoring AsianWeek to see if it has kept its promise.

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the racism that persists among members of our own Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. AAPI groups and individuals must fight racism by strengthening our coalitions with other communities of color, to promote our understanding of them, and they of us. By doing so, we will realize that as minorities living in a society where we are all affected by racism, we share many common concerns. Those concerns, such as the ongoing struggle for equality and justice, are best addressed when we work together.

In fact, Asian American groups, including the AAA-Fund, have and will continue to work with other communities of color to advance common interests, including promoting civil rights, strengthening hate crimes legislation, breaking the glass ceiling, expanding health care coverage, eradicating poverty, and pursuing other issues that are particularly important to our communities, including communities represented by the Congressional Tri-Caucus. Issues such as the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and other political, economic, and social matters have and will always continue to be a foundation for cooperation now and in the future. AAA-Fund will continue to work to build coalitions with other minority organizations and to combat racism, especially within the AAPI community.

The AAA-Fund is a national Democratic political organization whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in local, state and federal government, by encouraging AAPIs to volunteer on campaigns, raise money for candidates, and run for political office.