Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: May 2021 APRIL 19, 2021 “In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration that is now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Per a 1997 U.S. Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific Islander racial category was separated into two categories: one being Asian and the other Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Thus, this Facts for Features contains a section for each. The following facts are possible thanks to the invaluable responses to U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy.” Learn more about it here.
CAAL & HPHA Report: A Race to Close the Disproportionate COVID-19 Death Rates in Minnesota’s Asian Community This report is written for policy makers, healthcare providers, and systems, and community leaders to provide insights and recommendations that can immediately improve ongoing efforts to address COVID-19 infections, prevent further deaths, and ensure that future prevention strategies are responsive and relevant when serving Asian Minnesotans. This report uses preliminary data on COVID-19 mortality rates among Asian Minnesotans. It draws attention to the disproportionate number of COVID-19 mortality rates among Hmong, Karen, and Karenni residents to demonstrate the critical importance of data disaggregation. Download the report here.
SikhCoalition: Joint Statement from Eight Indianapolis-Area Gurdwaras Following Fedex Facility Shooting FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: [email protected] Joint Statement from Eight Indianapolis-Area Gurdwaras Following Fed-ex Facility Shooting “April 17, 2021 (Indianapolis, IN) — The following statement was released by representatives of eight Indianapolis-area gurdwaras, or Sikh houses of worship, including Gurdwara Gur Nanak Darbar (Plainfield), Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sikh Society (Raymond), Gurdwara Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib (Greenwood), Gurdwara Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis (Acton), Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar (Fishers), Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib Society (McCordsville), Darbar Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Indianapolis), and Sikh Society of Indianapolis…”
Korean Resource Center Hotline “We at KRC are heartbroken to hear about yesterday’s shooting that killed 8 people in Atlanta, including six Asian American women. Our hearts go out to all the victims’ families and to all our AAPI community members across the country who are processing this news and feeling a heightened sense of fear, anger, and grief. It is hard to find the right words in the face of this appalling tragedy. As the details of this incident continue to unfold, we will be sharing resources and ways to offer care and support. Note that KRC has a designated hotline (213-709-3695) where we provide in-language assistance and compassionate support to our community.” ”민족학교는 어제(16일) 조지아주 애틀랜타에서 발생한 총격 사건에 대한 소식을 듣고 가슴이 무너지는 느낌입니다. 이번 총격으로 인해 8명이 숨졌고 그 가운데 6명이 아시안계 여성이었습니다. 모든 희생자의 가족은 물론, 공포와 분노, 슬픔을 느끼고 있는 아시안계 이민자들에게 심심한 애도의 뜻을 전합니다. 우리는 이 끔찍한 비극을 어떻게 표현해야 할지 그조차도 가늠하기 힘듭니다. 이 사건에 대한 자세한 내용이 나오는 것에 맞춰 민족학교는 우리가 할 수 있는 지원 방법과 정보를 공유하겠습니다. 기억하세요. 민족학교 핫라인은 213 709 3685입니다. 한국어로 도움을 받을 수 있습니다.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Korean Resource Center 민족학교 (@krclaorg) SEAFN VICE Toolkit The Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN) is outraged by VICE News and their decision to publish this article. [1] We call out VICE News and their history of amplifying trauma porn from Cambodia. We call out Matt Loughrey on his white saviour complex. We demand responsibility and accountability. Click on the photo below to be redirected to the toolkit: Bystander Intervention 101 You have the power to stop identity-based bigotry and harassment. Learn more at a FREE virtual bystander intervention… Posted by OCA Greater Houston on Thursday, March 18, 2021 Posted by OCA Greater Houston on Thursday, March 18, 2021 Sign up for free virtual bystander intervention! SEAFN – Speaking Khmer on Condemning Anti-Asian Violence, Gender Based Violence, and White Supremacy Come listen to our demands on addressing anti-Asian hate, gender-based violence, and white supremacy. #DismantleWhitePatriarchy #Not Your Fetish #StopAsianHate VAYLA: Letter from Jacqueline Thanh “Beyond Asian hate and the continual targeting of our elders across the country, the violence and murder of Asian women in Atlanta yesterday illuminates the complex intergenerational traumas of exploitation, sexual violence, poverty, colonialism, and erasure experienced by Asian women. Working-class Asian women are the backbone of families, communities, and our cultures. VAYLA is an Asian Womxn-led organization and we are grieving deeply with our diaspora. We must stop Asian hate. We must continue to speak up and keep each other safe in the face of terrorism.” Read the full statement here. NAPAWF | Statement on Violence Against Asian American Women Condemn Hate and Violence Against Asian American Women “We are appalled, devastated, and angry at the violence in Georgia that has taken eight lives, six of whom were Asian American women. Many NAPAWF members and staff are especially shaken because they or their family members work in the service industry and have already been experiencing increased racism at work because of COVID-19. We mourn with the families of the victims, with our Georgia community, and with our broader community as the effects of anti-Asian racism are felt across the country by all of us. While officials now have announced the shooter’s motivations were based on a “sex addiction” and not racial bias, we know firsthand that sexual violence, sexism, and racism are intertwined for Asian American and Pacific Islander women. In the wake of COVID-19, racist scapegoating have fed this sexist fetishization as part of the spike in the incidents of hate. We must call this moment what it truly is: white supremacy, anti-Asian racism, sexism, and sexual violence against Asian American women. More than 68 percent of reported incidents of anti-Asian harassment and violence have been from women, and new polling commissioned by NAPAWF has revealed that nearly half of AAPI women have been affected by anti-Asian racism in the past two years. Racism intertwined with sexism has always been a part of our lives — this horrific mass shooting laid bare what we used to face unnoticed. We need a response to these attacks that centers Asian American women and elders. Intentional centering of women and elders must result in true aid, community support, government support, and an emphasis on our lived experiences, so that relief flows to those who need it most. We do not need more law enforcement – time and time again, more law enforcement did not lead to protection and safety. It instead leads to more violence aimed at and control of Black and Brown communities, including our own community members.” Send a message to your elected officials: The federal government, state, and local community responses to incidents of AAPI hate must be intersectional and responsive to the needs of Asian American women and elders. Testimony to Congress on Anti-Asian Violence On March 18, the House Judiciary Committee – Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on Asian American Discrimination and Violence. The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum submitted two testimonies. One was signed by 130 other organizations calling attention to this country’s long history with anti-Asian violence and its disproportionate impact on women. The second testimony calls on Congress to take action to provide holistic and interagency responses to the rise in harassment and violence targeting Asian Americans and make investments in communities of color to support true community safety. Download Testimony Download Sign-On Letter Post navigation ← Older posts Newer posts →
SEAFN VICE Toolkit The Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN) is outraged by VICE News and their decision to publish this article. [1] We call out VICE News and their history of amplifying trauma porn from Cambodia. We call out Matt Loughrey on his white saviour complex. We demand responsibility and accountability. Click on the photo below to be redirected to the toolkit:
Bystander Intervention 101 You have the power to stop identity-based bigotry and harassment. Learn more at a FREE virtual bystander intervention… Posted by OCA Greater Houston on Thursday, March 18, 2021 Posted by OCA Greater Houston on Thursday, March 18, 2021 Sign up for free virtual bystander intervention!
SEAFN – Speaking Khmer on Condemning Anti-Asian Violence, Gender Based Violence, and White Supremacy Come listen to our demands on addressing anti-Asian hate, gender-based violence, and white supremacy. #DismantleWhitePatriarchy #Not Your Fetish #StopAsianHate
VAYLA: Letter from Jacqueline Thanh “Beyond Asian hate and the continual targeting of our elders across the country, the violence and murder of Asian women in Atlanta yesterday illuminates the complex intergenerational traumas of exploitation, sexual violence, poverty, colonialism, and erasure experienced by Asian women. Working-class Asian women are the backbone of families, communities, and our cultures. VAYLA is an Asian Womxn-led organization and we are grieving deeply with our diaspora. We must stop Asian hate. We must continue to speak up and keep each other safe in the face of terrorism.” Read the full statement here.
NAPAWF | Statement on Violence Against Asian American Women Condemn Hate and Violence Against Asian American Women “We are appalled, devastated, and angry at the violence in Georgia that has taken eight lives, six of whom were Asian American women. Many NAPAWF members and staff are especially shaken because they or their family members work in the service industry and have already been experiencing increased racism at work because of COVID-19. We mourn with the families of the victims, with our Georgia community, and with our broader community as the effects of anti-Asian racism are felt across the country by all of us. While officials now have announced the shooter’s motivations were based on a “sex addiction” and not racial bias, we know firsthand that sexual violence, sexism, and racism are intertwined for Asian American and Pacific Islander women. In the wake of COVID-19, racist scapegoating have fed this sexist fetishization as part of the spike in the incidents of hate. We must call this moment what it truly is: white supremacy, anti-Asian racism, sexism, and sexual violence against Asian American women. More than 68 percent of reported incidents of anti-Asian harassment and violence have been from women, and new polling commissioned by NAPAWF has revealed that nearly half of AAPI women have been affected by anti-Asian racism in the past two years. Racism intertwined with sexism has always been a part of our lives — this horrific mass shooting laid bare what we used to face unnoticed. We need a response to these attacks that centers Asian American women and elders. Intentional centering of women and elders must result in true aid, community support, government support, and an emphasis on our lived experiences, so that relief flows to those who need it most. We do not need more law enforcement – time and time again, more law enforcement did not lead to protection and safety. It instead leads to more violence aimed at and control of Black and Brown communities, including our own community members.” Send a message to your elected officials: The federal government, state, and local community responses to incidents of AAPI hate must be intersectional and responsive to the needs of Asian American women and elders.
Testimony to Congress on Anti-Asian Violence On March 18, the House Judiciary Committee – Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on Asian American Discrimination and Violence. The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum submitted two testimonies. One was signed by 130 other organizations calling attention to this country’s long history with anti-Asian violence and its disproportionate impact on women. The second testimony calls on Congress to take action to provide holistic and interagency responses to the rise in harassment and violence targeting Asian Americans and make investments in communities of color to support true community safety. Download Testimony Download Sign-On Letter