Dear Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, and Honorable Members of the Texas Legislature,
We, the undersigned, write to express our outrage and strong opposition to the current version of Senate Bill 147 that would still prevent immigrants from purchasing farm land in Texas. This bill would have a devastating impact on Asian communities in Texas and particularly given the recent surge in anti-Asian hate incidents, as documented by Stop AAPI Hate, which has received over 11,000 reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SB 147 would unfairly discriminate against individuals from specific countries based solely on their country of origin, and further stigmatize and marginalize AAPI communities. They send a message that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are not welcome in Texas, and it only reinforces negative stereotypes and prejudices against them. By adding additional barriers for AAPI individuals, these bills only perpetuate discrimination and hate towards communities that are already experiencing high levels of bigotry.
These policy proposals would send the message that the U.S. is unwelcoming to individuals from certain countries.
The national impact of legislation like SB 147 would only exacerbate the already dangerous effects of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia on the AAPI community, and create additional barriers for AAPI individuals, particularly those from the countries targeted. It would further marginalize and stigmatize an already vulnerable population, and contribute to a climate of hate and discrimination.
We demand that you reject this bill and instead focus on policies that promote inclusivity and equality for all Texans, regardless of their country of origin. This includes increasing language access resources, investing in more robust data disaggregation, and promoting a culturally inclusive curriculum in education. The AAPI community deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and we will not tolerate any form of discrimination against them.
Join us in speaking out against hate and discrimination in Texas and beyond, and take meaningful action to build a better future for all.
Sincerely,
CHINESE VERSION
全国范围内反对德州147号法案和711号法案
致阿博特州长、帕特里克副州长、和尊敬的德州立法机构成员：
我们，以下签名者，共同署名以表达我们对参议员伊丝·科克霍斯特（Lois Kolkhorst）提出的第147号参议院法案目前版本的愤怒和强烈反对，该法案仍将禁止移民在德州购买农田。这项法案将对德州和全美范围内的亚太裔（AAPI）社区产生破坏性的影响，尤其在反亚裔仇恨事件的数量激增的当下，正如 "停止歧视亚太裔"（Stop AAPI Hate）联盟所记录的，自新冠疫情以来，该联盟已收到超过11,000份针对亚裔的仇恨事件的报告。
147号法案仅基于原籍国，不公平地歧视了来自特定国家的个人，这将进一步的羞辱和边缘化亚太裔社区。该法案发出了一个信息，即亚太裔在德州不受欢迎，并再度加强了他们本就在经受的负面刻板印象和偏见。通过为亚太裔群体中的个人设置额外的障碍，这类法案只会使针对一个已经饱受偏见的群体的歧视和仇恨永久存在。
这类立法将发出这样的信息：美国不欢迎来自特定国家的个人。
类似SB147的立法只会加剧全国范围内反亚裔种族主义和仇外心理，它对亚太裔社区已经产生了危险的影响，并为亚太裔个人，特别是那些来自该法案所针对的国家的人制造更多障碍。这将进一步边缘化和污名化已经处于弱势的群体，同时助长仇恨和歧视的气氛。
我们要求你抵抗这项有害的立法，无论人们来自哪个国家，重点需要被放在促进所有德州人的包容性和平等的政策上。这些政策包括包括增加多语言访问资源，投资于更强大的数据分类，以及在教育领域发展具有文化包容性的课程。亚太裔社区应该得到尊重和尊严的对待，我们不会容忍任何形式的歧视。
加入我们，在德州和其他州坚决反对仇恨和歧视，采取有意义的行动，为所有人建立一个更好的未来。
“Contact Information 联络信息表格” 中英参考：
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