Washington, DC – Today, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) is deeply disappointed in the election of 45th president Donald Trump. The loss comes after months of advocating for candidates who represent and understand Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and marginalized populations.
“We are so disappointed in the outcome of this election, but we respect the democratic process and will work with the Trump administration to better the lives of all working people,” stated American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) International Vice President and APALA National President Johanna Puno Hester. “Now more than ever we need to ensure that our communities are not victimized by Islamophobic, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and racist rhetoric and actions. We need to hold America to a higher standard.”
APALA Executive Director Gregory A. Cendana declared: “We’re hurting, our communities our hurting, but we won’t stop fighting. Under a Trump administration, we’re going to have to stand strong to fight for the issues we care about. Immigration. Black Lives Matter. Ending Islamophobia. We’re taking a stand for our communities. Seeing where the hearts and minds of Americans truly lie is quite frightening. But we cannot stop now because our work to dismantle this white supremacist system becomes that much more important.”
Monica Thammarath, APALA 1st Vice President and Senior Liaison at the National Education Association (NEA), added: “This is an incredible step backwards for our country. A lot has to be said to elect a candidate who has ran a campaign on racism, misogyny, and xenophobia instead of electing the most qualified candidate in our lifetime. We must take this as a call to action and work harder than ever with local communities to strengthen the bases we have built this election year – particularly in Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, and other states – during the next four years so that in 2020 we have a president who understands and elevates our issues.”
