The tragic events in Atlanta made headlines, while thousands more hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community don’t. In the past year, nearly 3,800 incidents of hate committed against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center. That’s only a fraction of what actually occurs, the organization says. Violence against Asians is also rising in countries around the world.
Citrix, like many companies in recent weeks, asserted that we stand against any act of violence or hate. It’s important to keep the conversation going. We said that we’re devoted to creating greater awareness around racial injustice issues — and that requires being an active ally.
I’ve heard many employees and community members asking how they can be stronger allies. As with so many actions we take and decisions we make, our values can guide us. I’ve put together a few allyship actions aligned to each of our Citrix values.
Integrity: Let’s first commit to allyship. We need to honestly reflect on our intentions and confirm that we’re willing to take action to support those who are experiencing hate and discrimination. This is how we ensure authentic allyship.
Respect: Let’s demonstrate respectful behaviors. Let’s treat each other with kindness and humanity. That means standing up against overt acts of racism, of course, including violence, name-calling, and displaying symbols of hate. But it also means avoiding more covert racist actions, such as cultural appropriation (adopting elements of another culture or identity), blaming or doubting victims, tokenism, and microaggressions.
Curiosity: Let’s be students of racial injustice by listening, reading, and watching films. We can also bring our curiosity into conversation with our friends, neighbors, and colleagues to better understand them, their backgrounds, and experiences. Curiosity calls on us to pursue our own education, learning about the problems, their origins, and how to take appropriate action.
Courage: Let’s be brave and speak up when colleagues, friends, or family members don’t demonstrate respect. For example, if you hear someone make a joke about race, speak in a mocking accent, or generalize about people of a certain race, you can share with them why you feel what they are doing is hurtful to others.
Unity: We are ONE. Let’s join in supporting organizations that are advancing justice with volunteerism and donations. Citrix is making a donation to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center to support its work to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, and harassment toward Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders and throughout the United States. Let’s become mentors and sponsors for neighbors and colleagues from under-represented communities. We can drive change together.
What are your values? What do they call on you to do in this moment?
