FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(中文以下)
Contact: Holly Chang, Executive Director
media@committee100.org or 212-371-6565
Committee of 100 Comments on Outrage over Forcible Removal of Airline Passenger
(New York, NY, April 13, 2017) — Like many people around the world, the Committee of 100 has been shocked by the viral videos showing a United Airlines passenger, bloodied and being dragged off a recent flight. The incident has caused a furor on U.S. social media and an even greater uproar in China.
Without ascribing racial motivations to the incident, for many Chinese Americans, including immigrants, as well as Chinese persons everywhere, this situation has touched a raw and painful nerve. In a matter of days, the topic garnered more than 880 million views on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter. As a Chinese American organization, C100 encourages greater understanding of Chinese perceptions underlying this phenomenon.
The scene of an Asian man being subjected to such physical force evokes in many Chinese a visceral reaction and prompts painful memories in Chinese and Chinese American history. Chinese people had to endure being bullied and oppressed for many years, from the days of imperialists in China to the exclusion and discrimination suffered by Chinese Americans.
While much progress has been made, many Chinese still encounter various degrees of humiliation and embarrassment due to language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and discrimination. Their frustrations are real, even if not always voiced.
For many years, Chinese and Asian Americans have been stereotyped as polite and passive. The current worldwide outrage suggests that Chinese peoples have found their voice, and they are standing up to protest mistreatment.
The Committee of 100 extends its support and sympathy to the victim in this case. The CEO of United Airlines has apologized over this incident and committed to system-wide change.
Corporations, governments, businesses, and public institutions now operate in a world of global stakeholders. We would all do well to recognize the diversity of experiences of those we serve. Building bridges and mutual trust through cultural sensitivity, respect, and dialogue is more than a charitable ideal; it is a business, societal, and global imperative.
The Committee of 100 is a non-partisan leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, and the arts. Since its founding in 1990, the Committee has been committed to a dual mission of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all fields of American life, and encouraging constructive relations between the peoples of the United States and Greater China. www.committee100.org
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Contact: Holly Chang, Executive Director
media@committee100.org or 212-371-6565
百人会就航空公司强行拖拽乘客事件的声明
(美国纽约州纽约市，2017年4月13日) — 和世界各地的民众一样，当看到乘客被美国联合航空公司强行拖拽下飞机受伤流血的视频时，百人会深感震惊。这一事件在美国的社交媒体中引起抗议，在中国更是引发轰动。
即使不把这起事件归因为种族问题，该事件确实触动了美国华人，以及世界各地华人的神经。几天之内，该事件已经在微博——相当于中国的推特——获得了超过8.8亿关注。作为一个美籍华人组织，百人会鼓励社会对这一现象所反映出的华人群体的观念给予更深刻的理解。
亚裔男子遭受暴力的场景，将唤起很多华人内心对中国历史和美籍华人历史的痛苦记忆。从外国帝国主义进入中国，到华人在美国遭受排斥和歧视，在许多年间，华人饱受欺凌、恐吓和压迫。
虽然今天在美华人已经取得诸多进步，一个日渐复兴和强大的中国已经站在全球领袖行列，但是，由于歧视、语言障碍和文化误解等原因，华人仍然会遭受不同程度的羞辱，或陷入不同程度的尴尬。他们的沮丧虽然不常被公众关注，但却是真实存在的。
多年来，华人和美国亚裔的内敛和被动，已经成为公众的刻板印象。不过，当前全球华人的愤慨表明，他们已经在发出自己的声音，对于不公平的对待，华人在奋起反击。
对这一事件的受害者，百人会深表同情并予以支持。而美国联合航空首席执行官已公开道歉，并承诺做出系统性改变。
如今，企业、政府和公共机构都在一个拥有全球利益相关方的世界中运营。全球化最大的特点就是多样性，多样性能否使我们受益取决于我们是否能通过谦让、尊重和对话在不同文化间建立桥梁和互信——这不止是一个慈善理念，在商业领域、社会领域和政治领域也至关重要。
百人会是一个由美国华人精英组成的国际性、非党派团体，成员来自商界、政界、学术、和文艺界。成立二十五年来，百人会一直致力于其两大使命，推动美国华人在美国社会各领域的全面参与，促进美国与大中华地区人民之间的建设性关系。更多信息：Committee100.org.
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