Cultivating Compassion for the Asian Community During Corona
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“I want to love more than death can harm. And I want to tell you this often: That despite being so human and so terrified, here, standing on this unfinished staircase to nowhere and everywhere, surrounded by the cold and starless night — we can live. And we will.”
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Carol Nguyen,
Social Transformation Intern
WE in the World
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In trying to articulate my thoughts into a cohesive statement, I struggled. My thoughts and feelings are scattered as I’m trying to both reflect and reconcile my past and present state of being, in the context of the uptick in violence against Asian Americans throughout this pandemic. However, someone wise once told me, “You don't need a complete story to share your story, if that makes sense; in fact, the ones in progress are super powerful, and I think needed.”
My parents were refugees from a war-torn country, immigrating to America for a better life for themselves and their family. I was a first-generation Asian American growing up in the suburbs of Long Island, NY. Often, we would travel into Chinatown and Flushing to pick up groceries and treats from Asian-owned businesses. It was then I was immersed in my heritage, with people who looked like me and spoke in the same tongue. I didn’t feel awkward or that I stuck out like a sore thumb. My parents were friendly with some of the shop owners, bonding over their shared experience of immigration and finding a new home in America. I always admired immigrants coming to this country in search of the American dream, often having to learn a new language, working hard to provide for their families, and all while staying humble and resilient.
I find that humility and resiliency are deeply ingrained in Asian culture and translates to the notion of laying low so as not to cause harm or unwanted attention, but working hard in silence to let success shine though. The model minority myth dangerously inflates this notion, but for an agenda that seeks to divide racial groups in order to protect white supremacy.
When COVID-19 first came to the states, I saw the fear starting to arise around me while I was still living in New York City for college. I saw the Chinatown I had grown up to love become a ghost-town and businesses I had frequented struggling to stay afloat due to the fears of the virus. Ignorance linked the virus with the Asian community and I brushed off the microaggressions on the street and on the subway, until these acts of fear became acts of violence. In the egregious stories and videos circulating the internet, I saw my family, I saw my loved ones, and I saw people who looked like me...attacked for looking like me. I was now hyperaware of my being, walking down the streets I once called home.
The elderly and women were the most targeted groups of these hate crimes, with the latter accounting for 68% of reports on StopAAPIHate.org. In a culture with humility and resiliency so deeply engrained, added with the fear and retaliation of law enforcement, these hate crimes are severely underreported. What happened in Georgia was a despicable, premeditated act of violence against Asian women, a group that has been historically fetishized, objectified, and exploited for their labor. I’m heartbroken and I mourn. I mourn that their beautiful lives were cut short, I mourn for the family and friends they were taken away from, and I mourn that continuously, the existence of AAPI and the fruits of their emotional and physical labor, have been reduced to punchlines, stereotypes, and jokes.
Anti-Asian racism is not new; it did not start with the pandemic. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese internment camps during WWII, Asian-Americans have long endured the perpetual foreigner status throughout history despite their meaningful contributions to this country.
The increase in anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes during the pandemic was just another reminder that my acceptance in this country was conditional. If I enunciated my words clearly, maybe it would make it clear I was born here? Would that make me any more accepted in American society than if I spoke with an accent? My value was equivalent to the service I could provide, in line with the model minority myth, if I boot-strapped and worked hard enough I could achieve acceptance, validation, and maybe even, appreciation. But lives should not have to be lost in order for us to realize how we should appreciate one another and the gifts we each bring. Lives should not be lost in order for us to celebrate the richness of our culture and heritage, the stories of struggle and triumph. Lives should not be lost in order for us to love ourselves fully and unapologetically, for who we are and how we came to be.
My heart is heavy over the countless lives living in fear and lost due to hate, discrimination, xenophobia, racism, and white supremacy. I’m also strengthened by the show of solidarity and compassion for the AAPI community. I’ve learned whether complete or in-progress, these stories need to be shared with intention and care, with the shoes of our voices off and with our hearts open. There is power in our shared vulnerability and our shared efforts to dismantle systems of oppression so that all people are liberated to thrive.
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On Taking Off Our Shoes
"And even in the temples — in many Asian-American households, when you enter the house, you take off your shoes.
Now, we’re not obsessed with cleanliness any more than anyone else. But the act is an act of respect: I’m going to take off my shoes to enter something important; I’m going to give you my best self.
And I think, even consciously, when I read or give lectures or when I teach, I lower my voice; I want to make my words deliberate; I want to enter — I want to take off the shoes of my voice so that I can enter a place with care so that I can do the work that I need to do."
― Ocean Vuong
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Stop AAPI Hate 2020-2021 National Report
This report covers the 3,795 incidents received by the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021. The number of hate incidents reported to our center represent only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur, but it does show how vulnerable Asian Americans are to discrimination, and the types of discrimination they face.
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There were 3,800 anti-Asian racist incidents, mostly against women, in past year
by Kimmy Yam
“There is an intersectional dynamic going on that others may perceive both Asians and women and Asian women as easier targets”
New data has revealed over the past year, the number of anti-Asian hate incidents — which can include shunning, slurs and physical attacks — is greater than previously reported. And a disproportionate number of attacks have been directed at women.
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Photo by David Ryder / Getty Images
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Photo by Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images
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Fetishized, sexualized, and marginalized, Asian women are uniquely vulnerable to violence
by Harmeet Kaur
“The Asian women murdered yesterday were working highly vulnerable and low-wage jobs during an ongoing pandemic speaks directly to the compounding impacts of misogyny, structural violence, and white supremacy," Phi Nguyen, litigation director at Asian American Advancing Justice - Atlanta, said in a statement.
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The model minority myth says all Asians are successful. Why that's dangerous.
by Victoria Namkung
Asian Americans of lower socioeconomic status don’t fit the model minority stereotype and are more likely to work in low-wage industries such as restaurants, salons, housekeeping and factories, which can make them more vulnerable. Asian women like the victims of Tuesday’s shootings have historically been susceptible to sexual and physical violence.
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Photo by Lindsey Wasson / Reuters
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The long history of anti-Asian hate in America, explained
by Li Zhou
The broader uptick in racism, however, isn’t just fueled by the pandemic. Although the uncertainty of the outbreak — coupled with the former president’s rhetoric — has amplified it, this prejudice is rooted in longstanding biases toward Asian Americans that have persisted since some of the earliest immigrants came to the US generations ago.
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Ignoring The History Of Anti-Asian Racism Is Another Form Of Violence
by Connie Wun
We’ve been hurting for a long time, and we’ve been working to create solutions for just as long. Now, finally, our stories are getting some attention. Hopefully, resources will come next.
Regardless, this moment is a reminder to build together, to continue to share our stories, to provide resources, to help one another address immediate needs and create long-lasting change. Our lives depend on it—and each other.
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Photo by Bettmann / Getty Images
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Photo by Chang W. Lee / The New York Times
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Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges So Rare?
by Nicole Hong and Jonah E. Bromwich
Several recent attacks have not been charged as hate crimes, fueling protests and outrage among many Asian-Americans.
As the debate over what legally qualifies as anti-Asian bias unfolds, the community is grappling with the reality that the law is simply not designed to account for many of the ways in which Asian-Americans experience racism.
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The history of tensions — and solidarity — between Black and Asian American communities, explained
How white supremacy tried to divide Black and Asian Americans — and how communities worked to find common ground.
by Jerusalem Demsas and Rachel Ramirez
“If you take a holistic look at our history, I truly believe that Asian Americans have more in common with the African American community than with the white community in America,” Pastor Chang said. “The fact that many people don’t know that shows how historically malnourished we are and how fragmented our understanding of history is.”
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Photo by Ringo Chui/AFP via Getty Images
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Why We Should’ve Seen the Atlanta Shootings Coming | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Trevor unpacks the racist motivations behind the deadly shootings in Atlanta, which left eight people, including six Asian women, dead.
Go to https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/ to help the Stop AAPI Hate coalition track, respond to and prevent acts of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
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On Being with Krista Tippett
Ocean Vuong
A Life Worthy of Our Breath
Krista interviewed the wise and wonderful writer Ocean Vuong on March 8, 2020 in a joyful, crowded room full of podcasters in Brooklyn. A state of emergency had just been declared in New York around a new virus. But no one guessed that within a handful of days such an event would become unimaginable. Most stunning is how presciently, exquisitely Ocean speaks to the world we have come to inhabit— its heartbreak, its poetry, and its possibilities of both destroying and saving.
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Poems, meditations, films, and other cultural nutrients for times like this.
Curated with love by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
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Care Package is a collection of creative offerings by artists, writers, and scholars who we have collaborated within recent years. Here, you will find a range of approaches to addressing uncertainty, anxiety, and grief through vision, reflection, and healing. Most have been exhibited in past programs, but have never been made widely accessible until now.
While this body of work may not hold the solutions for everything, we hope that it helps you find some calm amidst the chaos.
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Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun Make History at the 2021 Oscar Nominations
by Sarah Bahr
It’s been nearly 20 years since a man of Asian heritage notched a best actor nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
But this year, for the first time in the 93-year history of the Academy Awards, there are two: Steven Yeun (“Minari”), who was born in South Korea and raised in the United States, and Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), who is a Briton of Pakistani descent. Both Ahmed and Yeun are first-time nominees.
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Photo by Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal (Amazon) / Steven Yeun in Minari (A24)
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DSGMC launches dialysis hospital; will provide free treatment to all
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait lauded the Sikh community for starting a project that will offer free services to everyone
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Sunday launched “India’s biggest” kidney dialysis facility at the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib complex here.
Guru Harkishan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Kidney Dialysis Hospital will offer dialysis facility to 101 patients simultaneously and it can cater to 500 patients daily, the DSGMC said in a statement.
The hospital will offer its services to patients completely free of cost.
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‘I Still Believe in Our City’: A Public Art Series Takes On Racism
After a wave of anti-Asian discrimination, the artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya wanted to “turn these hurts into something beautiful.” Her panels will transform a Brooklyn subway station.
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Photo by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
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Black and Asian Solidarity Against Racism & AAPI Hate
#STOPAAPIHATE: ‘We are both fighting for the same thing’ — Asian and Black community members are coming together as a united front against AAPI hate in the wake of multiple Atlanta-area shootings that left 8 dead, including 6 women of Asian descent.
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New Yorkers rally against anti-Asian violence in call for solidarity after Atlanta shootings
New Yorkers rallied in multiple locations in the city on March 21, 2021 to protest against anti-Asian violence. They came five days after the Atlanta shootings in which eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian women. Protesters called for solidarity among minority groups and demanded more resources from the government to support Asian-Americans.
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Sandra Oh gives impassioned speech at protest: 'I am proud to be Asian'
“For many of us in the community this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger, and I’m really so grateful for everyone willing to listen,” Oh said. “I know many of us in our community are very scared, and I understand that. One way to get through our fear is to reach out to our community.”
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RESOURCES & TOOLS TO BUILD WELL BEING
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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, 2020. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
Our approach recognizes that in order to effectively address anti-Asian racism we must work to end all forms of structural racism leveled at Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.
Our 5-pronged approach is to:
- Serve as the leading aggregator of anti-Asian hate incidents
- Offer multilingual resources for impacted community members
- Provide technical assistance from rapid response to preventative measures
- Support community-based safety measures and restorative justice efforts
- Advocate for local, state, and national policies that reinforces human rights and civil rights protections
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AAPI Women Lead
AAPI Women Lead and #ImReady Movement aims to strengthen the progressive political and social platforms of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the US through the leadership of self-identified AAPI women and girls. Our goal is to challenge and help end the intersections of violence against and within our communities. We do this work in solidarity with other communities of color.
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian Americans have been part of the American story since its earliest days, and are now the U.S.'s fastest-growing racial group with the potential and power to shape our nation and the policies that affect us. Our mission is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.
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Asian Women for Health
AWFH is a peer-led, community-based network dedicated to advancing Asian women’s health and wellness through education, advocacy, and support. We envision a world where Asian women are well-informed, have access to care that is culturally appropriate and high quality, and inspired to live happy, healthy lives.
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PBS: Asian Americans
Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that will chronicle the contributions, and challenges of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing ethnic group in America. Personal histories and new academic research will cast a fresh lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans have played in it.
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How to support the AAPI community in a time of hate and violence: A Resource List
This document will serve as a resource list to support and aid AAPI community members, as well as point both AAPI and non-AAPI allies to groups, journalists, researchers to follow and ways to get involved, where to donate funds to, and brushing up on your awareness of AAPI history.
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How to support Asian American colleagues amid the recent wave of anti-Asian violence
There are plenty of ways to get involved in taking a stand against anti-Asian racism.
Photo by Stephen Lam | The San Francisco Chronicle | Getty Images
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AAPI Mental Wellness Resources
A non-comprehensive list of mental wellness resources for AAPI and journalists, including research, training programs, and culturally competent coverage.
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National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
3/25 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Join this conversation to hear more about the identity and experience of Asian American women and learn how to take action in solidarity. This event will feature:
- Representative Grace Meng (NY-06)
- Ai-jen Poo, Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
- Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Hollaback!
4/5 at 1:00 PM ET
Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment are on the rise across the US -- and the world. In this virtual workshop hosted on zoom, and co-sponsored by Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) and Hollaback!, we'll learn how you can intervene effectively as a bystander without ever compromising your safety.
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Asian Women for Health
4/6 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET
Award-winning storyteller and trauma survivor, Sarah Mishina Kunz, will be guiding you through storytelling with honesty, celebration, compassion, and creativity -- all while balancing the sensitivities of trauma.
Bring your writing tool of choice and come prepared with an open mind. Session will not include any explicit or triggering content.
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