Action Alert: An Open Letter

UPDATE (11/03/12) According to NYTimes, the take out box was made by inventor Frederick Weeks Wilcox in Chicago on Nov. 13, 1894.

UPDATE (11/05/12) WKYC covered the story with with responses from Renacci’s people

UPDATE (11/05/12) several websites and blogs already covering this news and petition (sign it not!) has been made. (a google with

UPDATE (11/06/12) Several communities members have now received a new mailer from Renacci’s campaign with new images: a grocery shopping cart. Although he yet to place an apology.

OCA Open Letter

November 1, 2012

Ohio Republican Party
211 South Fifth Street
Columbus, OH 43215

To Whom It May Concern:

OCA, a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), is deeply concerned and disappointed in the recent distribution of a xenophobic flyer mailed by the Ohio Republican Party to voters prior to the upcoming election. We ask for a pledge to end the use of xenophobic rhetoric as well as an immediate apology for the offensive materials distributed.

The recent circulation of the “Betty Sutton is taking our jobs to go” flyer is inappropriate and demonizes Asians, specifically those of Chinese descent. While it has been common practice to attack China in this electoral cycle, capitalizing on xenophobic rhetoric for political gain has long term implications that negatively affect the APA community.

The cultivation of hostility toward Asians has had a ripple effect in the past as exhibited by the death of Vincent Chin. Chin, a Detroit-born Chinese American, was beat to death by two laid-off auto workers who held strong animosity towards a booming Japanese auto industry. His death resulted as a product of fear mongering for political gain at the expense of racial understanding.

Elections should be issue-focused without resorting to unfair and inaccurate comparisons. Demonizing a specific class of people using fear tactics based on broad political and economic generalizations or predictions should not be tolerated by the community at-large. We call upon political parties to promote an environment that welcomes the inclusion of diverse perspectives and urge political candidates from using racially charged language and imagery related to all forms of discrimination and bias.

It is our hope that in the future the Ohio Republican Party will engage in a productive dialogue rather than the production of xenophobic rhetoric that targets a specific group of individuals.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Johnny Wu
OCA-Cleveland President

Register to Vote

Asian Services In Action needs your help to spread voter information guides in several languages for our communities in Ohio.

Please share this information with your colleagues and members, post it to your website, and distribute it to anyone you know who needs it. The page link is http://www.tinyurl.com/asiagotv