AAPI Leaders Meet with Fox News as More than 130 Asian American and Pacific Islander Groups and Allies Seek Further Action Following Racist Segment

Representatives of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations met with Fox News executives today to present a community letter signed by 134 national, state and local AAPI organizations and allies, as well as a petition with nearly 24,000 signatures, in response to the racist “Watters World: Chinatown Edition” segment that aired on The O’Reilly Factor earlier this month.

The 134 organizations expressed their continued outrage over the perpetuation of racist stereotypes and pushed for more representation of AAPIs in Fox News coverage. The letter asks for a written apology, a commitment to diversity and sensitivity training, and news programming that will educate viewers on the AAPI electorate. Additionally, it urges Fox News to increase its number of AAPI guests and for Fox News senior executives to continue this important dialogue through regular meetings with AAPI leaders.

“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to present our letter directly to Fox News executives in a productive meeting today,” said NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang. “The outpouring of support for this call to action--from across the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including many student organizations, and beyond--is a powerful demonstration of the widespread outrage and hurt this racist segment has caused.”

"We appreciate the opportunity to meet with Fox News today," said Karin Wang, Vice-President of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles.  "The segment clearly struck a nerve with Asian Americans of all ethnic backgrounds and reached far beyond New York City.  We have conveyed this widespread and national anger and frustration to Fox News executives and we look forward to their response."

"Many Asian Americans and our allies were hurt and angered by Watters' segment,” said Jenn Fang of Reappropriate. “It was deeply humbling to be able to provide a platform by which those thousands--perhaps even millions--of voices could directly reach representatives of Fox News. I sincerely hope that today's events lay the groundwork for a fruitful and lasting conversation between Fox News and the AAPI community on issues of inclusion and diversity.”

Read the letter here.

Today’s meeting was facilitated by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and hosted by the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). New York Assemblymember Ron Kim (District 40) and representatives from OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates and its New York chapter also attended.

The following 23 NCAPA member organizations signed on to the letter: Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Asian American Psychological Association, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Center for APA Women, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Hmong National Development (HND), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA), National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA North America). Additionally, all five of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliates joined this letter.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.