Insurance Diversity Digest - We Stand With the AAPI Community

Diversity Proponent

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spike in bigotry, assault, racism, and hate crimes heaved upon our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities is, unfortunately, all too familiar. We are deeply disturbed and continue to mourn the lives of the victims of the brazen hateful attacks, including eight people -- six of whom were Asian American women -- in Georgia last month.

The hailstorm of hateful rhetoric and violence against Asians and Asian Americans hearkens to a long history of legally-sanctioned discrimination, as early as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

As a program whose mission is grounded in the values of equity, access, and inclusion, we stand in solidarity with our AAPI community to condemn the hateful actions and acts of violence that dehumanize & targets the people within our AAPI communities. We reaffirm our core beliefs that diversity and inclusion are the cornerstones of creating a culture where we can show up each day and live our lives unafraid and unbounded by the vestiges of hate.

If you haven’t checked in with an AAPI friend, family, or colleague in your life, it is never too late to reach out.

But don't stop there. Dismantling racism starts with you and it begins with building awareness. This month's newsletter provides actionable resources to help you show up and take actions in support of our AAPI communities. Learn how perpetuating false narratives such as the "Model Minority Myth" is damaging to the AAPI community that have historically also been prone to scapegoating during times of crisis. Watch a documentary to gain an understanding of the history, contributions, challenges, and impact of Asian Americans.

We join our communities in the process of healing from this trauma, yet we also recognize that our ongoing fight for justice is rooted in our collective strength and ability to come together to create change. We hope that the challenges during this moment moves you to act in ways that will create a positive ripple effect that reverberates across all of our diverse communities.

However you choose to show up to lend your support, it's important to break the silence.

On that note, we urge you to show your support for SB 655. Our bill made it out of its first committee and is slated for its second committee hearing soon. Send in a support letter, if you haven't already!

And finally, we want to wish a 'Sabaidee Pii Mai,' and 'Soursdey Chnam Thmey' to those who will be celebrating Lao, Thai, or Cambodian New Year later this month, and also 'Ramadan Mubarak' if you will be observing the holy month of Ramadan starting April 12. Regardless of how you celebrate, we hope you stay safe and find moments in your day for peace and wellness.

In Solidarity,

The Insurance Diversity Initiative Team

SUPPORT FOR THE AAPI COMMUNITY

You can take an active role in moving beyond performative justice to demonstrate your support for our AAPI communities. Collectively, we can make a difference. Here are some actions you can take:

TAKE ACTIONS and OFFER SUPPORT

Call Your Representatives

Read up on any current legislation that supports and protects the AAPI community, then call your local elected officials to encourage their support. If you’re unable to reach them, you can look up their voting record on items like House Resolution 908, which calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce racism against Asians in America.

Be an Ally for Asian Americans

Groups like Compassion in Oakland are stepping up to accompany anyone who is nervous about walking alone. As an added layer of protection, all participants must show a negative test result for COVID-19. Hollaback! offers virtual bystander intervention training to help allies develop the tools they need to respond to, stop, or de-escalate harassment faced by Asian Americans. You can also download Hollaback's Guide to Bystander Intervention to educate and empower yourself to become an ally to eradicate Asian American stereotypes that lead to microaggressions and racial slurs that dismiss, reduce, and disparage Asian Americans.

Report a Hate Incident

You can make a report on Stop AAPI Hate's website of any racist or discriminatory incidents toward the Asian community. The organization hopes they can use this resource to demand and enact policies to stop the growing hate crimes towards the community.

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Education starts with you. The history of xenophobia and racism against Asians and Asian Americans, much like any form of racism, is nothing new. Hold space to discuss how anti-Asian racism and the racism experienced by many historically marginalized communities are linked.

Check out this guide to responding to racism toward Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, published by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project.

Read this article from the Learning for Justice Center that explores the "Model Minority Myth," which explores why racism and hate crimes against the Asian communities are overlooked.

This is the tip of the iceberg for how to turn words into action. Below are more organizations and resources to support and educate yourself about the history of the AAPI community:

SUPPORT ASIAN-OWNED BUSINESSES

Anti-Asian violence and sentiment has taken an economic toll on many Asian-owned businesses across the country. Luckily, companies such as Yelp in partnership with Gold House is making it easier for you to show your support for Asian-owned businesses.

ACCESS MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

From microaggressions to physical acts of violence, racism impacts both your physical and emotional well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, multiple resources are available.

SPOTLIGHT ON DIVERSITY

On March 25, Senate Bill 655 (Bradford) passed through the Senate Insurance Committee. The bill is now headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee with a hearing scheduled for May 4, 2021. SB 655 builds upon the progress of our Department's diversity initiatives, and makes greater strides in the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in California's $340 billion insurance industry by:

Codifying reporting requirements for underrepresented groups on insurance company boards, including disclosures on an insurance company's board diversity policy statement or its measurable goals;
Lowering the existing California premium reporting threshold value of insurance companies’ reporting on its board and supplier diversity data; and
Establishing a definition for the term “diverse investment manager” as a means for insurance companies to target their social-impact

SUPPORT SB 655

To continue to support this important legislation, please submit a letter to the Senate Judiciary committee by 12 NOON PDT on Friday, April 23, 2021.

The SB 655 template support letter is linked below for your convenience.

Senate Judiciary Committee Letter of Support Template

E-mail your SB 655 Support Letter to our team at: diversity@insurance.ca.gov and we'll submit it on your behalf, OR submit your letter electronically or via mail to:

ATTN: Senate Judiciary Committee

The Honorable Tom Umberg

State Capitol, Room 2817

Sacramento, CA 95814

Share Your Support of SB 655 on Your Social Media Networks with the hashtag #SupportSB655

Let's help ensure the voices of our diverse communities are represented. To learn more, check out the press release from Senator Bradford's office and track the progress of SB 655 at: www.tinyurl.com/sb655!

CALIFORNIA'S NEWEST SMALL BUSINESS SUPPLIER DIVERSITY INITIATIVE

This week, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced Source Diverse Source Local, a public-private partnership to strengthen an inclusive procurement and resilient California-based supply chain. The partnership was developed last fall by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of GO-Biz, in collaboration with the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.

The Source Diverse Source Local initiative will help meet the needs of California’s supply chain by supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in California’s procurement by taking the necessary steps to increase the dollars spent with diverse and/or local California businesses. In addition, the focus is to share knowledge and best practices with small businesses to expand their opportunities with new vendors. This initiative will develop new and existing small businesses through procurement readiness programs to obtain manufacturing, government, and/or corporate contracts.

Ultimately, the initiative pledges to expand diverse and local California procurement strategies that will support an equitable and resilient economic recovery in the state. California corporations and institutions with large goods and services acquisitions will also pledge to increase growth opportunities for diverse and/or local California firms and help propel job creation in the state.

To learn more, read the press release or visit: http://business.ca.gov/source-diverse-source-local/.

UPCOMING CDI & DIVERSITY TASK FORCE MEETINGS

This section of the newsletter contains all of the information regarding upcoming Commissioner Virtual Townhalls and Insurance Diversity Task Force meetings. All meetings are open to the public.