The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) strongly condemns the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans throughout the United States. During the past year, more than 3,500 accounts of such incidents were reported, and ASN is committed to doing everything possible to prevent these injustices.
The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) strongly condemns the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans throughout the United States. During the past year, more than 3,500 accounts of such incidents were reported, and ASN is committed to doing everything possible to prevent these injustices.
ASN makes this statement as part of its support for “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination” on Sunday, March 21, 2021. This year’s theme is “Youth standing up against racism." As is well documented, Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) is more diverse, accepting, and committed to equity and inclusion than any generation in history. Recognizing this reality, the theme “Youth standing up to racism”—or #FightRacism—“aims to foster a global culture of tolerance, equality, and anti-discrimination and calls on each and every one of us to stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes.”
The United Nations (UN) established International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 1979, and it is observed annually on the anniversary of the day when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, “opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid ‘pass laws’ in 1960.” Beginning on Sunday, March 21, ASN will join the UN in “a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination” in the United States and throughout the world.
In the United States, people who are Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Indigenous or Native American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islanders face countless acts of police brutality, hyper-militarization against peaceful protests, other acts of race-based terror, and efforts to suppress their right to vote. These manifestations of systemic racism are often met with minimal response, demonstrating a pervasive, serious problem that continually threatens the lives of many Americans.
On Monday, June 1, 2020, ASN pledged to “advance efforts to achieve equality to reduce the adverse impact of racism, especially on health and in health care.” The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened health disparities, health inequities, and social determinants of health, especially for people with kidney diseases. Moreover, due to fearmongering around COVID-19, health care workers, including kidney health professionals, have and continue to experience racism. For health professionals, these incidents are expected to worsen the pandemic’s effect on mental health and burnout, increase the suicide risk, and accelerate their departure from the workforce.
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