Tag Archives: Health & Public Health

Tongan Americans Seek White House Support of Tongan Disaster Relief

Washington, D.C.—Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) released the following statement regarding the volcanic eruption and tsunami in the Kingdom of Tonga on January 15th, 2022. The impact destroyed communications and left many residents in need of aid and relocation. EPIC, its partners, and allies have sent a letter to the White House calling to provide a statement and further humanitarian relief. The full letter can be found here.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and tsunami destroyed homes, schools, churches, businesses, and agriculture. To date, three lives have been claimed. The aftermath has left many residents displaced while volcanic ash has polluted air and freshwater sources, leaving residents at risk of long term health issues. Scientists are racing to understand the once-in-a-century event. There is no question that this event will have lasting global impacts as reverberations were felt as far as Alaska and tsunamis traveled as far as Japan, Chile, and the West Coast of the U.S.

The road to recovery will be a long-term process to rebuild its infrastructure and restore hope in the Tongan people. Food, water, medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and other essential necessities will be a continuous need in the coming months, however this need for aid also leaves the population increasingly vulnerable to COVID-19 exposure.

Partnerships between Tongan women-led community-based organizations, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations have mobilized to provide direct relief through mutual aid with Tongan NGOs. The collective, consisting of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), Motivating Action Leadership Opportunities (MALO), the Vakatasi Foundation, and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), has sent a letter to the White House, requesting the Biden administration to release a statement in support of the Tongan American community and commit to providing further aid for Tonga’s relief and recovery.

Help Fund Excluded Workers in New York

DESIS RISING UP AND MOVING: We will continue the fight to fully Fund Excluded Workers! Thousands of eligible New Yorkers are being shut out from the fund. NY must boost the fund. Stay connected to organizations like DRUM to join the fight and stay informed about next steps. In the News:  New York Set Aside $2.1 Billion for Undocumented Workers. It Isn’t Enough. The Fund Excluded Workers Coalition is calling on Gov. Hochul and NYS Legislature to add $3 billion to the fund to cover workers who have been shut out from the fund.

Visit the Fund Excluded Workers Resource Page here!

Help Increase Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

Take action today by keeping your community informed and safe with the COVID-19 vaccine, public health guidelines, and relief efforts! Our network partners have been engaging in community outreach and education on accessing COVID-19 relief and vaccinations and are looking for community members who can help others schedule their vaccine appointments, provide in-language services, and combat vaccine misinformation and myths. Check out some of the campaigns below that highlight volunteer opportunities:

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon has complied a list of compiled BIPOC specific clinics in Oregon. Help a neighbor schedule their vaccine appointment at apano.org/vaccine-info

Center for Pan Asian Community Services – Help beat COVID-19 by continuing to social distance and getting vaccinated! By following these tips, you can help keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy. Help others find the nearest vaccine location near them at www.vaccines.gov. 

As communities of color have been the most devastated by COVID-19, Filipino Advocates for Justice have been outreaching to Alameda County (California) voters and nonvoters to provide in-language accessibility to ensure that our communities are getting the assistance they deserve. There have been deep inequities in COVID-19 vaccine rollout and this outreach program aims to inform our communities of their options and give them access and assistance in getting vaccinated.

Freedom Inc – With the potential for a spike in evictions this summer as the eviction moratorium expires, Madison Tenant Power and Freedom Inc. are pairing up to raise funds to help folks stay in their homes or find new, better housing! These funds will be used for security deposits and other critical housing funds so that more of our community members to have safe housing for themselves and their families. Funds will be distributed by Freedom Inc. Please give as generously as you can, and please share the campaign!

If you live in Fresno or Sacramento County, please join Hmong Innovating Politics’ Hmong COVID-19 Vaccine Network. HIP knows that trying to track down a COVID-19 vaccine has been difficult for so many in our community and they are committed to helping you and your family get vaccinated and navigate the various steps in order to get there. Watch HIP’s COVID-19 Summer Updates video here.

North Carolina Asian Americans Together – NCAAT wants to hear from community members in North Carolina! They are looking for folks who have had any experiences and/or issues (Mental health, stigma, financial issues, racism/xenophobia, or others) with accessing healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic that identify as an Asian American from an underserved group in North Carolina. NCAAT’s goal is to gather disaggregated data in the form of your experiences that will lead to us having the necessary and improved data to advocate for more resources and funding. 

VietLead – It is important that our community have adequate access to the COVID-19 vaccine. VietLead’s Health team is really excited to help bring the vaccine and vaccine education to our community in language! VietLead is in need of volunteers to do phonebanking. We need YOU to help with vaccine outreach this summer, in order to debunk myths about the vaccine and share information about how to get it through our pharmacy partners. Sign up to volunteer here!

 

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Biden Signs COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made the following statement after President Biden’s signing of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law:

“Today’s bill signing is an important step toward protecting everyone in our country from acts of hate and intolerance.

“We have seen a substantial rise in hate crimes and bias-related incidents against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community since the beginning of the pandemic.

“This new law will help speed our response to hate crimes and provide resources to law enforcement to improve hate crime reporting. The law will assist law enforcement in targeting its efforts, which will help to prevent these devastating crimes and to respond efficiently and effectively to crimes, when they occur.

“The Department of Justice is proud to play a central role in implementing this legislation. Investigating and prosecuting hate crimes is a top priority, deeply rooted in the department’s founding. We will use the new law to enhance the aggressive measures we are taking to combat crime motivated by bigotry and discrimination.”

Office of the Attorney General
Press Release Number:
21-468
Updated May 20, 2021

Restoration of COFA Medicaid Access in COVID-19 Stimulus Bill

AAPI community leaders have praised the passage of the coronavirus relief bill (December 2020) that includes Medicaid access for Pacific Islanders, specifically for the Compact of Free Association (COFA) communities (citizens of the Marshall Islands, Palau and Micronesia) that have been most impacted by COVID-19. This is a historic decision would revise and fix a drafting mistake from the 1996 welfare reform bill that excluded health care from Medicaid for the COFA community. 

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) released a statement applauding the restoration of COFA Medicaid access in the stimulus bill. Tavae Samuelu, Executive Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), said: “Medicaid restoration has been a decades long fight, one that began at the moment of exclusion. I’m grateful to the COFA leaders who’ve been some of the most impacted by COVID-19 and continue to be at the helm of caring for our communities.” Read NCAPA’s full statement here.

Condemning Anti-Asian Discrimination #HRes908

The Condemning all forms of anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID–19 House Resolution 908 was introduced by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng on March 25, 2020 and calls on all public officials to denounce anti-Asian racism related to the coronavirus. This resolution calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce anti-Asian sentiment, racism, discrimination, and religious intolerance related to COVID-19 and calls on Federal law enforcement officials to work with local and state agencies to investigate and document all credible reports of hate crimes and incidents against the Asian American community. It also calls on United States leadership to build a more inclusive and tolerant society by advocating for language access and combating misinformation and discrimination against Asian Americans. This simple resolution was agreed to on September 17, 2020.

 

 

Support Community Organizing and Power during COVID-19

Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic have raised, our network partners have adapted and continued to organize and respond to the changing needs of their community members with their community outreach and engagement services, programming, and campaigns.

As our communities of working-class immigrant and undocumented workers and families grapple with the impacts of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic, which will continue to grow into a social, health, and economic crisis, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) has launched the “Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity” Campaign. Offering what they have learned in hopes that other communities will find it useful as they organize, this campaign provides a practical, accessible, and participatory program for building community power while also meeting the material needs of frontline communities that have been under-resourced and targeted by policies of neglect and destruction. Contribute to the “Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity” Campaign by donating to the Campaign & Leadership Development and Emergency Direct Aid Funds

Amid incidents of anti-Asian racism and discrimination during COVID-19, Asian Americans Advancing Justice have launched https://www.standagainsthatred.org/ to document hate and to educate about the environment of hate around the country. By reporting and tracking incidents of anti-Asian racism, you will be aiding the efforts of Advancing Justice and other advocates to monitor hate incidents across the country. By sharing what you experienced or witnessed, you can educate the public, empower others, show service providers where help is needed, and strengthen advocacy efforts for hate crimes response and prevention.

Asian Pacific Environmental Network is collecting donations for their COVID-19 Emergency Community Stabilization Fund. This fund would make sure that the working class Asian immigrants and refugees in our communities have what they need to stay home and stay healthy during this pandemic as inadequate federal and state government assistance has not been enough. Along with supporting our AAPI communities, we must also continue to raise awareness and funds for AAPI nonprofits. Seeking aid to provide general operating support, emergency cash assistance, care packages, and youth programming, Mekong NYC has joined the historic #GiveinMay campaign. Read more about how Mekong NYC is responding to the impact of COVID-19 on low-income Southeast Asian community members in the Bronx and how you can support their efforts here.

 

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Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity Campaign

As our communities of working-class immigrant and undocumented workers and families grapple with the impacts of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic, which will continue to grow into a social, health, and economic crisis, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) has launched the “Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity” Campaign. Offering what they have learned in hopes that other communities will find it useful as they organize, this campaign provides a practical, accessible, and participatory program for building community power while also meeting the material needs of frontline communities that have been under-resourced and targeted by policies of neglect and destruction. Contribute to the “Building Power & Safety Through Solidarity” Campaign by donating to the Campaign & Leadership Development and Emergency Direct Aid Funds

HEROES Act for COVID-19 Relief

HEROES Act: The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act) responds to the current COVID-19 outbreak and its continual financial and public health impacts on our communities, individuals and businesses across the country. Passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 15th, 2020, this bill would supplement the previous CARES Act stimulus package by providing $3 trillion of emergency funding to support families, essential workers, and small businesses. The HEROES Act would provide another round of stimulus checks to eligible Americans, continue expanded unemployment benefits, extend and expand the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and provides funding and establishes requirements for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing among other things. This act also includes a proposal to fund states to provide equal access to the ballot box by giving every eligible voter the opportunity to participate in safe and accessible elections. 

As of August 31, 2020, this bill has not been passed by the U.S. Senate or signed into law. However, given the scope of this legislation, NCAPA has outlined some of the most important parts to note for the AAPI community. Email your Senators & tell them #HEALSNo and #PassHEROESAct already passed by the House, which provides relief for the unemployed, renters, frontline workers & doesn’t leave out immigrants! The pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income communities and communities of color. We need COVID-19 relief and we need it NOW. Tell the Senate to #PassHEROESAct