HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RESO 2021-35RESOLUTION NO. 2021 - 35
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA
DENOUNCING XENOPHOBIA AND ANTI-ASIAN RACISM ARISING DUE TO FEARS OF THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND AFFIRMING ITS COMMITMENT TO THE WELL-BEING AND
SAFETY OF ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES
WHEREAS, Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities are suffering from acts of
discrimination, hate crimes, and micro aggressions due to fears of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, according to the World Health Organization, over 30 million cases of SARS-
CoV-2 infection have been reported in the United States as of April 6, 2021; and
WHEREAS, the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has been referred to as "China Coronavirus",
"Chinese Coronavirus", "Chinese Virus", "Kung-Flu" and "Wuhan Virus" in public discourse; and
WHEREAS, such rhetoric is reminiscent of the perception of Chinese Americans as
perpetual foreigners and the "yellow peril" in the late 1800s and were subsequently excluded from
immigration and naturalization by law for close to a century; and
WHEREAS, such rhetoric is inaccurate and stigmatizing, tends to incite fear and
xenophobia, and puts individuals of Asian ancestry at risk of retaliation and deterrence from
accessing resources and services, appearing in public, and expressing their identity; and
WHEREAS, scientists have confirmed that the COVID-19 disease does not respect
borders and is not caused by ethnicity, and the World Health Organization has cautioned against
using geographic descriptors because they can fuel ethnic discrimination; and
WHEREAS, as SARS-CoV-2 has spread, numerous APIs have reported experiencing
micro aggressions, racial profiling, hate incidents and, in some cases, hate violence; and
WHEREAS, over 30,000 businesses are API -owned in San Diego County, with numerous
dining and hospitality establishments having reported a decrease in business since January 2020
at the beginning of the outbreak; and
WHEREAS, National City, collectively with the County of San Diego, is home to one of the
first minority -majority counties in the nation and is home to over 440,000 Asians, Native Hawaiian
and Pacific Islanders, collectively representing one out of every seven residents; and
WHEREAS, data on COVID-19 infections and fatalities in California show that Asian,
Black, Latinx, and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities are disproportionately impacted.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY,
CALIFORNIA, DOES RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE, AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: City Council denounces xenophobia and anti -Asian racism arising due to
fears of the COVID-19 pandemic and affirms its commitment to the well-being and safety of Asian
Pacific Islander communities.
Resolution No. 2021 - 35
Page Two
Section 2: City Council calls upon all counties, cities, and local governments across
the United States to adopt similar commitments to reaffirm their solidarity with API communities
and commit to combating hate and improving health equity.
Section 3: The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Resolution
and enter it into the book of original Resolutions.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 4th day of May, 2021.
•
Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Mayor
ATTEST:
A.
Luz Molina, Cit j Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM: