When racism is endemic, the system needs fixing
WE, the undersigned youth leaders and youth organisations in Asean, stand in solidarity with the AfricanAmerican community and the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the United States. We condemn the systemic violence enabled by racism and denounce the false notion of white supremacy against African-Americans.
No person should ever be subjected to any kind of abuse, torture, or inhumane or degrading treatment, more so in the form of choking resulting from kneeling directly on the neck, the way Floyd died.
Human rights are inherent to every person and they must be respected and protected by the state.
It is unfortunate that despite reforms in the US justice system, the fight for the equality of people of colour has not yet ended. Racism is deeply ingrained in US society and history and we believe that we should all work together to change this.
In September 2019, some of us had the opportunity to participate in a Young South-East Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) academic fellowship supported by the US government to learn about civic engagement and civil rights in the United States. We were deeply inspired by the civil rights movement when we travelled to cities such as Atlanta, Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham and Washington DC to experience the struggle of people involved in the movement.
Walking the civil rights trail and standing on the shoulders of giants like Martin Luther King Jr gave us hope to fight racism and violence in our own countries. We are certain that the Black Lives Matter movement will continue to spark the fight against injustice worldwide.
As emerging civil society and business leaders of Asean, we take racism and human rights violations seriously. Justice is not served by holding only the murderer accountable; the system that perpetuates the injustice must be fixed to provide more for those who have less and have long been neglected.
YOUNG SOUTH-EAST ASIAN LEADERS INITIATIVE (YSEALI)
Note: Letter signed by 28 YSEALI academic fellowship alumni