BOISE, Idaho — The city of Boise's Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities are set to gather at the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial downtown on Tuesday night.
A vigil will be held to honor Asian-Americans who have been affected by hate in the last year, including the victims killed in the Atlanta shooting on March 16, according to Katie Niemann, the education chair for the Boise Valley Japanese-American Citizens League.
“We want to bring awareness to those hate crimes and also show support for the community and show ways that the community can take action and how they can support Asian-Americans,” she said.
Niemann feels it is very important to talk about these incidents locally, as there are members of the community that are made to feel uncomfortable because of their lineage.
“We have never banded together as Asian-Americans," she explained. "It’s always been the Japanese-Americans or the Chinese-Americans, and so we are going to have Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Korean-Americans, Vietnamese-Americans, all of us coming together to take a stand and say this is a problem and let's also remember all the people affected."
Niemann speaks to students about reconciling a problematic past for Asian-Americans in Idaho. During World War II, south-central Idaho served as an internment camp for those of Japanese descent. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were forced from their homes and jobs and sent to places like Camp Minidoka in south-central Idaho. For more than three years, 10,000 people lived there battling tough work and unsafe living conditions.
“My grandmother was incarcerated here in Idaho when she was 16," Niemann said. "This isn’t a new thing, hate crimes against Asian-Americans, but there have been 3,800 reported hate crimes in the last year in the U.S. and I’m sure there are many, many more that were not reported."
Anti-Asian-American hate crimes reported to police increased by 149% from 2019-2020, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. This data prompts difficult conversations about the treatment of Asian-Americans in the U.S.
“I think there is a lot of fear, a ton of fear, and so I think that one of the things that we are working towards doing is turning that fear into action," Niemann said. "Turning the fear into giving them resources to be prepared if something happens. Not that something will happen, but putting their minds at ease."
After the attacks in Atlanta, both Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee reached out in support of local Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities. In a statement, Lee said in-part:
“I fully understand the fears and concerns community members have for themselves and their loved ones in light of the violence that has taken place. While our department has not seen an uptick in crimes targeting members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, it is important to recognize that some incidents may go unreported.”
“It means the world to me,” Niemann said. “The mayor offered her sincere condolences to us as a group and it made me tear up. She has so much support for us. Chief Lee is Chinese-American, he knows exactly what we are going through and that is something that means more than anything to us.”
Although there are tough conversations and circumstances for communities to work through, Niemann believes events like the upcoming vigil can create cultural understanding and conversations in the community.
“I truly believe this community is good," she said. "I truly believe they love me and other Asian-Americans, and I’ve seen so many people reach out to me and come together and share words of encouragement and hope in the last couple of weeks. It’s a great thing to see. I love feeling the support.”
The vigil is scheduled for 6:30 pm Tuesday and can also be streamed online here.
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