Tag Archives: Popular Education

Address Anti-Blackness through Racial Justice Discourse

As we continue to work towards social and racial justice, incidents of anti-racism and xenophobia in AAPI communities has also brought forth calls for racial solidarity to dismantle anti-Blackness in our communities and understand the role of white supremacy in our struggles toward shared liberation. Here are some ways to take action, continue your education to address anti-blackness, and help fight against attacks on social justice discourse:

VAYLA’s AAPI Rising: Uplifting AAPI Means Dismantling Anti-Blackness Event – Over the past year, the uptick of anti-Asian incidents has reminded us that racism and violence against AAPIs is not new. Through much grief and pain, our AAPI community is strengthened through solidarity. As AAPI communities move forward and overcome increased anger, fear, and violence, it is critical for us to recognize and dismantle anti-Blackness in our communities and understand the role of white supremacy in our struggles toward shared liberation. Watch the recorded session and listen to the community and conversation around addressing anti-Blackness with our own family, community, elders, and navigating internalized white supremacy.

Join the crucial fight to defend the truth with the African American Policy Forum’s #TruthBeTold Campaign – “After unprecedented global protests for racial justice that followed the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, right-wing groups across America instigated and intensified well-funded, orchestrated disinformation campaigns against critical race theory, intersectionality, and other forms of racial and gender justice discourse.” Visit their website to learn more about how to respond to these organized attacks and find the latest updates from the disinformation and legislative campaign against critical race theory, social justice discourse, and race and gender education. This website also offers articles, research, and critical analyses that help explain the who, what, where, and why of the coordinated attacks on critical race theory, racial justice, and anti-racist education (including useful explainers of critical race theory, research into the structure of the disinformation campaign, political analysis, and more).

As an organization of Muslim women committed to building sisterhood and advancing social equity, Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment has continued to open space for our community to learn and grow as anti-racist activists, advocates, and allies. Please visit their anti-Blackness resource page to learn about places to begin or continue your anti-racism journey.

Empowering Pacific Islander Communities invites Black Pasifika specifically to join in conversation with one another to share space and perspectives from the skin you live in as Black AND Pacific Islander. This discussion will be facilitated by Jason Finau and Savali Andrews, two maternal cousins with a shared identity but different upbringings and journeys forward as African American Samoans raised on the west coast in the US. This space will convene on the second Friday of every month. “Black Pacific Alliance Join us every 2nd Friday for conversations on the Black + PI experience. Our next meeting is Friday, January 14th, 2022 | 6-8 PM (PT) For more info or to join, please contact: [email protected].”

Take Action Against Anti-Asian Violence and Racism

Our network partners have worked In allyship and solidarity across marginalized groups and have continued to call on community members to report hate incidents, condemn anti-AAPI and racist sentiments, attend workshops and bystander intervention trainings, and call for greater accountability and policy responses from elected officials. Community groups and activists have also provided support systems and spaces for community members to reflect in the current moment, learn more about the long history of anti-Asian violence in the United States, as well as support those who have experienced hate themselves. Here are some ways you can take action against anti-Asian violence and racism:

Stop AAPI Hate has published a survey on state and local resolutions, which found that only 18 states and 49 of 3,073 (1.6%) counties have enacted resolutions in opposition to anti-Asian hate. You can use their 50-state survey to find out if your state or local representatives have stood up against hate (download it at https://bit.ly/3dzQmRl) and learn how your elected officials can take action by taking a look at their template resolution (download it at https://bit.ly/3qJygSq)

Donate to the Support the AAPI Community Fund campaign! This fund aims to condemn incidents of anti-Asian violence and create lasting social change as AAPI voices are amplified and empowered while we address broader, systemic problems. With the donations received through the Fund, GoFundMe.org will issue grants to trusted AAPI organizations working to rectify the racial inequalities in our society. Other fundraisers through the website include:

  • Fundraisers for AAPI Justice – Verified fundraisers helping those affected by violence against the AAPI community
  • Fundraisers for AAPI Neighborhoods – Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) neighborhoods have been struggling to survive since the beginning of COVID-19. Take action to revitalize and preserve AAPI culture in your local community by donating or sharing the verified fundraisers on this page, or by donating to the general fund supporting various AAPI organizations.
  • Fundraisers to uplift the AAPI community –  Support various AAPI efforts determined to increase awareness around inequalities, create solutions, and inspire hope within the community. Take action by donating or sharing the verified fundraisers on this page or by donating to the AAPI Community Fund, supporting various AAPI organizations.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago is offering various Bystander Intervention Trainings throughout July. To combat the current rise in harassment and discrimination and to also proactively prepare for the future increase of hate incidents, Advancing Justice | Chicago is partnering with New York-based nonprofit Hollaback! and CAIR-Chicago to plan and implement an aggressive scaling up of locally-led bystander hate incident intervention trainings for community members. 

Help Chinese for Affirmative Action and 150+ community-based organizations and the California API Legislative Caucus #FaceTheHate and fight for the passage of this historic proposal that would go beyond general condemnations of hate and address the structural inequities and injustices that API communities have grappled with for generations now. Together, we can pass the API Equity Budget. You can download their #FaceTheHate toolkit to get started.

Watch this Facebook live event from Cia Siab, Inc where community members learned how to effectively respond as a bystander and how to form a safety plan from some of the Cia Siab, Inc. staff. Members of the community can also continue to report hate incidents through Cia Siab, Inc’s Hate Incident Form at www.ciasiabinc.org/hateincidentreport

OCA Greater Houston is also offering Bystander Intervention Training in August and September. Learn how to help people targeted by identity-based bigotry and harassment. Register today at https://houstonagainsthate.org/BIT This FREE 1.5-hour, interactive training will teach you Hollaback!’s 5D’s of bystander intervention methodology. We’ll start by talking about the types of disrespect — from microaggressions to violence — that people with marginalized identities face and the history of identity-based violence. You’ll also learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities. We’ll talk through five strategies for intervention: distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct; and how to prioritize your own safety while intervening. We’ll have time at the end for practice, and you’ll leave feeling more confident intervening the next time you see identity-based harassment online or in person.

 

 

Address Anti-Blackness through Racial Justice Discourse

As we continue to work towards social and racial justice, incidents of anti-racism and xenophobia in AAPI communities has also brought forth calls for racial solidarity to dismantle anti-Blackness in our communities and understand the role of white supremacy in our struggles toward shared liberation. Here are some ways to take action, continue your education to address anti-blackness, and help fight against attacks on social justice discourse:

VAYLA’s AAPI Rising: Uplifting AAPI Means Dismantling Anti-Blackness Event – Over the past year, the uptick of anti-Asian incidents has reminded us that racism and violence against AAPIs is not new. Through much grief and pain, our AAPI community is strengthened through solidarity. As AAPI communities move forward and overcome increased anger, fear, and violence, it is critical for us to recognize and dismantle anti-Blackness in our communities and understand the role of white supremacy in our struggles toward shared liberation. Watch the recorded session and listen to the community and conversation around addressing anti-Blackness with our own family, community, elders, and navigating internalized white supremacy.

Join the crucial fight to defend the truth with the African American Policy Forum’s #TruthBeTold Campaign – “After unprecedented global protests for racial justice that followed the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, right-wing groups across America instigated and intensified well-funded, orchestrated disinformation campaigns against critical race theory, intersectionality, and other forms of racial and gender justice discourse.” Visit their website to learn more about how to respond to these organized attacks and find the latest updates from the disinformation and legislative campaign against critical race theory, social justice discourse, and race and gender education. This website also offers articles, research, and critical analyses that help explain the who, what, where, and why of the coordinated attacks on critical race theory, racial justice, and anti-racist education (including useful explainers of critical race theory, research into the structure of the disinformation campaign, political analysis, and more).

As an organization of Muslim women committed to building sisterhood and advancing social equity, Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment has continued to open space for our community to learn and grow as anti-racist activists, advocates, and allies. Please visit their anti-Blackness resource page to learn about places to begin or continue your anti-racism journey. These resources include

To commemorate Juneteenth and celebrate to forge stronger alliances across Asian American and Black movements and communities, North Carolina Asian Americans Together encouraged us to take part in actions, gatherings, and rallies across the nation, both in our communities and online. Support organizations in North Carolina like Black Voters Matter, NC Black Alliance, NC BLOC (Black Leadership and Organizing Collective), BYP 100 Durham, SpiritHouse, and Wake County Black Student Coalition that are fighting for Black lives and all of our collective liberations. 

 

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New Way Forward Act for Southeast Asian Refugees

NBC: Asian American community advocates say a new immigration reform bill reintroduced in Congress on Tuesday can become a pathway for Southeast Asian Americans who have been deported to return to the U.S. or who are in deportation proceedings to stay in the country.

Reintroduced by Reps. Jesús  “Chuy” García, Pramila Jayapal, Karen Bass, and Ayanna Pressley, the New Way Forward Act seeks to decriminalize immigration and tackle systemic racism in the country’s immigration system. Key components of the bill include: eliminating mandatory detention, redefining convictions, ending deportations based on certain convictions, restoring judicial discretion for immigration judges, creating a five-year statute of limitations for deportability, and establishing an opportunity to come home for certain deported individuals or non-citizens in deportation proceedings.

Advancing Justice and SEARAC issued the following joint statement: “This landmark legislation re-envisions the United States’ severely flawed and racist immigration enforcement system. The New Way Forward Act would restore fundamental due process protections and compassion back to our immigration system. For the last several years, our country’s outdated and unjust immigration laws have been used to deport our communities at an unprecedented level. As we look to eliminate mass incarceration and create a racially just society, the New Way Forward Act is an essential step toward justice and equity for immigrant and refugee communities. We need to provide a way for those individuals who were unjustly removed to have the opportunity to come home and be reunited with their families.”

Read more about the news story here. Find out how you can take action today by following Advancing Justice and SEARAC’s action alerts to contact your members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor the New Way Forward Act! Find the digital tool kit here.

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.

Organizing Against ICE and Protecting Immigrants and Refugees

Our network partners have been advocating for immigrant and refugee rights and protections as they organize against ICE, defend asylum, advocate to end deportations in our communities, and work to free our community members from immigration jails, prisons, and detention facilities. View and read more about some of the campaigns and advocacy efforts our network partners are involved with and find out how you can help:

Adhikaar has joined the Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) with four other immigrants rights and grassroots organizations to amplify the needs and experiences of the African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) communities. This collaboration was founded based on the need to build power, mobilize, and galvanize within our communities. Together, they will fight for permanent residency for all TPS holders. Support their efforts by donating here: bit.ly/adhikaardonate

HANA Center participated in Chicago’s #FreedomTogether car caravan with other immigrants rights groups from across Illinois. They called on President-elect Biden and Congress to end deportations and family separation, pass inclusive COVID-19 relief regardless of immigration status, and introduce legislation with citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants. Support the HANA Center and find out ways you can volunteer here

Asian American Resource Workshop: “On November 19th, the Trump administration proposed a new rule to ban work permits for people on Orders of Supervision (OSUP): those who have been ordered deported but are temporarily released from custody. This includes tens of thousands of Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees who have resettled to the US and rebuilt their lives after being displaced by the war in Southeast Asia. Join us in protecting our friends, families, and community members by submitting a public comment opposing the proposed work ban on work permits by Monday, December 21st.”  Learn more and take action at https://tiny.cc/ProtectWorkPermits

 

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Support Community Building and Mobilization in 2021

As 2020 comes to an end, we are reflecting on the monumental advocacy and community organizing that took place to address anti-AAPI racism, increase allyship and solidarity with other communities of color, respond to the socioeconomic and health challenges during COVID-19, and encourage voter participation and increase AAPI representation in the 2020 elections. As we continue to build power and fight for an equitable recovery in 2021, there are many ways you can help support our network partners and contribute to their community outreach and engagement services, programming, and campaigns. Here are some of our network partner campaigns you can support:

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon: “At APANO, we will continue to cultivate that strength, connection, and care in 2021 as we heal, rebuild, and create the future our communities deserve. In 2021, APANO will continue to respond to community needs as we have done throughout this year. We have distributed over $1 million in relief including meals to BIPOC households, gift cards to community members, and grants to API-owned small businesses. Amidst it all, we continue to build the power of Asian and Pacific Islander leaders and communities. We have shown up for each other in this difficult year, and we will need to do so in 2021 as we recover and reimagine our world. While we understand that giving may be challenging this year, if you are able, please make a year-end gift to help APANO support, mobilize, and nourish our community.” Donate to our Grassroots Asian Environmental Leadership Fund now to support our organizing in 2022 and beyond.

Asian Pacific Environmental Network: “Since 1993, we’ve been building deep roots in California’s Asian immigrant and refugee communities. From cultural events like Rice & Water Festival in Richmond to our annual International Women’s Day event in Chinatown, we work year-round to build community in working-class immigrant and refugee neighborhoods across the East Bay. Our communities sustain our cultures and our families. And if there’s one thing this year has shown us, it is that we all depend on each other — on strong, resilient communities — for our health, our wellbeing, and our survival. This #GivingTuesday, build community in working-class Asian immigrant and refugee neighborhoods across California by donating to APEN. We need to raise $10,000 by the end of the year to power our community organizing in 2021 and beyond. Will you help us reach our goal? Donate now at donate.apen4ej.org/EOY or please SHARE if you are unable to donate at the moment!” 

Chinese for Affirmative Action: “As 2020 comes to an end, CAA’s mission to build a multiracial democracy is more important than ever. This year, there are several ways for folks to demonstrate their support. Whether you make a direct donation at givedirect.org/caa/donate2020 or finish your holiday shopping on smile.amazon.com [and select CAA as your charity of choice], this is your chance to join us in championing civil rights, education equity, immigrant justice, and more.”

Chinese Progressive Association of San Francisco: “With rapid shifts in the political and economic landscapes, we’re expanding our capacity and doubling down on civic engagement and political education with our base, lifting up their voices in advocating for economic and racial justice! We know we need all of us to keep each other safe, protected, and thriving. Together, you can be a part of our movement to shape the future of our communities.” Contribute at https://bit.ly/3q4o3zg

The Coalition of Asian American Leaders: “An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish. A group of one thousand origami paper cranes (折鶴, orizuru) held together by strings has come to stand as a universal symbol of hope and healing. At the end of a tumultuous year heightened by natural disasters, COVID-19, and civil unrest, CAAL launches its month-long #PaperCraneWish campaign from December 1 – December 31, 2020 as a much needed symbol of hope. Every crane you fold brings us one step closer to our year-end fundraising goal of $20,000 to support our fight for a more equitable and just future.” To make a donation today and learn more about this campaign, visit www.caalmn.org/papercranewish

CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities: “It’s been a chaotic time, but also a time full of openings and charged with energy. Throughout the pandemic, CAAAV has been organizing our communities both virtually and on the ground to build grassroots tenant power! And we know that despite what happens, the future is ours to build. We need to imagine a world in which local elected officials are actually accountable to the people. In 2021, we will continue to build militancy within our membership to stop eviction, fight for full funding in public housing, and for the cancellation of rent. Can you help us continue the fight in 2021? Donate now to our The Future is Ours To Build fundraiser! Every dollar supports organized working-class people and the fight for a more equitable New York City.”

Mobilizing Against Anti-AAPI Hate and Racism

As hate and discrimination against the AAPI community has dramatically risen during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our network partners have called on community members to report hate incidents, condemn anti-AAPI sentiments, and attend workshops and bystander intervention trainings. Here are some examples on how you can take action:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago: With numerous reports of anti-Asian verbal and physical attacks and Illinois being the fourth ranked state with the highest number of reported incidents, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago and other local organizations have joined together and launched a virtual bystander intervention training program for community members to learn how to take action against hate and racism. Read more about this program here.

STOP AAPI HATE: “In response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center on March 19. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California and where possible throughout the United States.” Visit https://stopaapihate.org/ to report a hate incident, read their reports, find safety tips, and how you can act now to stand against anti-AAPI hate and racism today.

Cia Siab Inc. created this Hate Incident Report Form, specific to the state of Wisconsin, with the purpose of giving individuals in the Hmoob community an outlet to report hate incidents in a confidential manner, while also encouraging individuals outside of the community to report any hate incidents that has occurred to them as well. Examples may include, but are not limited to, the use of degrading language or slurs (spoken or written) and physical harm suffered based on identity or perceived identity.

Anti-Racism Workshops: By following the Prophetic model, Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment is rooted in the Sunnah and reminded of the diversity of identities and how they show up. These workshops provide language, examples, tools, techniques and most importantly sisterhood in order to change a system. If your organization or group would like to receive training, contact the organization for more information related to pricing, timing and details about each workshop. Learn more about their Anti-Racism workshops here.

Help Get Out the AAPI Vote in the Georgia Runoff Elections

Community leaders and AAPI organizations in Georgia are mobilizing for high AAPI voter turnout in the upcoming Georgia runoff elections on January 5, 2021. Building upon their previous voter registration outreach and language assistance efforts that helped increase AAPI voter turnout during the 2020 election in November, organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Atlanta and the Center for Pan Asian Services are continuing their advocacy efforts to provide information and resources to our community members and empower them to engage in election processes. 

Learn more about the importance of this election down below and visit the Dear Georgia Campaign. Find out how you can help and/or volunteer here: https://www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org/volunteer-runoff. If you have questions about voting or need in-language voter guides and other resources, visit http://bit.ly/aaajvote or call the Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta hotline at 404-955-7322.

If you are in Georgia, find your early voting locations and absentee ballot drop box at https://bit.ly/CPACSVOTE21. Your vote will decide who makes decisions on important issues including COVID relief, education, healthcare, and small business! You can make your pledge at bit.ly/P2VCPACS2020. The Center for Pan Asian Services is also looking for volunteers to help with exit polling and surveying Asian American voters about their voting experience. Sign up at http://bit.ly/ExitPolling_GARunoff20