ASIAN AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS
(AALAM) AND
TEN OTHER BAR ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
CONDEMN WEEI HOST CHRISTIAN FAURIA’S RACIST BEHAVIOR
The Asian American
Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM), and ten other bar associations
and community organizations (see full list below), strongly condemn the
recent offensive, racist, and insensitive conduct of WEEI sports-talk radio
host Christian Fauria on his last Friday’s program (2/9/18) wherein he mocked
sports agent Don Yee, the agent for NFL players Tom Brady and Jimmy Garappolo,
by imitating him using a racially stereotyped, over-the-top Asian accent.
Such behavior was not only hateful,
ill-conceived and repugnant, but also perpetuates ignorant, inaccurate stereotypes
about Asian Americans. This was not only
an insult to Don Yee (who is U.S.-born and speaks English without an accent),
but it also belittles all Asian Americans and minorities despite their
accomplishments.
While AALAM appreciates that Fauria has
personally apologized to Don Yee for his conduct, and that WEEI timely
responded to criticism by issuing a 5-day suspension to Fauria and mandated
sensitivity training for its employees, this is not the first time WEEI hosts
have used disparaging and derogatory language during their radio shows. We call upon management and the larger
community to take more proactive steps to ensure that WEEI and its employees
reflect the values of inclusion, acceptance and mutual respect of their diverse
audience.
To that end, AALAM applauds the recent
actions of City of Boston Credit Union, Comcast Corp., Citizens Bank, the MA
State Lottery Commission, and the MA Health Connector in suspending their
advertising on WEEI following the Fauria incident.
As an affinity bar association, we stand
firmly against divisive, racist and discriminatory behavior in all its
forms. We urge WEEI and the sports and
media community to stand tall with us to make clear that there is no place for racism
in our community.
Other
bar associations and community organizations signing-on to this statement
include:
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice
- Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar
Association
- South Asian Bar Association
of Greater Boston
- Massachusetts Black Lawyers
Association
-
Massachusetts Black
Women Attorneys
-
Massachusetts
Association of Hispanic Attorneys
- Asian American Civic
Association
- Asian American Community
Development Corporation
- Women’s Bar Association
The
Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) is a non-profit
state-wide association of over 250 Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges,
law professors, and law students. Its members include solo practitioners, large
firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and
lawyers serving at all levels of government.
To
learn more about AALAM, visit www.aalam.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us
on Twitter (@aalamlaw).
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