10 Years On: Remembering Joseph Santos Ileto
Ten years ago this month, Southern Californians were shocked by the tragic murder of Filipino American letter carrier, Joseph Santos Ileto, and the wounding of five people at the North Valley Jewish Community Center by a white supremacist, Buford Furrow. The family of Joseph Ileto, led by mother Lillian and younger brother Ismael, was thrust into the spotlight and became instant activists, telling their story to the media and audiences from coast to coast, calling for justice for Joseph and all victims of hate violence. They turned their grief into strength, supported legislation that would add gays and lesbians as a protected class to federal hate crime laws and called for tougher gun control.
One of the disappointments they faced was that some media and even sympathetic elected officials repeatedly focused on the survivors of the Jewish Community Center, and neglected, or in some cases ignored Joseph’s death. The Ileto family and their supporters called on the press to provide inclusive and balanced coverage.
Ten years later, the Ileto family continues to work in coalition with all communities affected by hate crime. In partnership with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), the Ileto family established the Joseph Ileto Hate Crimes Prevention Fellowship. The fellowship currently seeks funds for this current year to hire a fellow. For more information, please visit the Asian Pacific American Legal Center’s website: www.apalc.org.
On this anniversary, APALC collected letters of appreciation to the Ileto family, from organizations and individuals who have been inspired by their tireless work and their message of love. API Equality-LA sent the Iletos the following message:
Dear Ileto Family:
It is unbelievable that ten years have passed since your beloved Joseph was taken from you in an unspeakable act of terror. The horror and shock of that wound remains in our hearts as if it happened yesterday.
In the wake of such tragedy, when so many other Asian families would have chosen to suffer in silence, you chose to speak out and march tirelessly in pursuit of justice. From coast to coast, you lifted your voices, told your story, and inspired others to stand up against bigotry and hate violence. You inspired other victims and their loved ones to come out of the shadows and join in healing the world. Most importantly, you reached out your hands in friendship across bounderies to the families of the North Valley Jewish Community Center, to African Americans, to gays and lesbians, and to all people who have been victims of intolerance and hate crime. Their names beckon us: Harvey Milk, Vincent Chin, Matthew Sheppard, Lawrence King. To their deaths, we dedicate our lives.
Yours is the story of ordinary people who, during times of crisis, rise to occasion time and time again, to do extraordinary things. Many elected officials, community leaders, and organizations have publicly recognized your efforts and sung your praises. In our small, humble way, we join them. Thank you for being a role model for all of us. From the ashes of despair and pain, phoenixes of hope can rise.
With our deepest respect and admiration, and in loving memory of Joseph,
Marshall Wong and Doreena Wong,
Co-Chairs, API Equality-LA