April 2021 | ANA Equity & Advocacy Bulletin by Christina Wong, PhD
Last month, as we passed the one-year mark since COVID-19 lockdowns started, the AAPI community was shaken by the mass shootings in Atlanta where eight people were killed, including six Chinese and Korean American women (see remembrance from ANA Healing Space by Vanessa Zhou). This incident came after a year of increasing anti-Asian hate crimes, leaving many in our community feeling vulnerable. Here we highlight some events and resources for addressing anti-Asian racism.
UPCOMING EVENTS
+Stop AAPI Hate Summit: A discussion about how we can combat API hate together
April 7, 2021 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PDT/8:30 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
+Save Asian Lives: A special webinar to provide an overview of strategies
April 8, 2021 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM PDT/3:00 PM – 4:15 PM EDT
+Harvard Medical School Equity and Social Justice Lecture Series: Racism and Violence Impacting the Asian-American Community
April 12, 2021 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM PDT/12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
+South Asian Mental Health Consortium: Cha Chat Networking Event
April 16, 2021 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PDT/8:00 PM – 9:30 PM EDT
+Anti-Racism and Caring For Asian American & Pacific Islander Older Adults
April 20, 2021 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM PDT/3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
RESOURCES
Anti-Asian Violence Resource List
Includes recent news, bystander intervention guides, where you can report an anti-Asian hate incident, where you can donate, and recommendations for AAPI advocacy social media accounts to follow.
New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health (NYCAAMH)
List of resources and opportunities offered by community groups to combat racism via dialogues, bystander training and community involvement.
Microintervention Toolkit: Individual Actions and Best Practices to Disarm and Neutralize Microaggressions – Developed by Derald Wing SueDownload
LISTEN/WATCH
Mental Health Costs of Everyday Racism: The long history anti-Asian racism in the United States, and how discrimination impacts your health.
PBS Asian Americans: The history of identity, contributions, and challenges experienced by Asian Americans. In light of the Atlanta area shootings, PBS has made this 5-part documentary series freely available to stream online.
CONFERENCES
Decolonizing Psychology Training: Strategies for Addressing Curriculum, Research Practices, Clinical Supervision, and Mentorship
April 16, 2021 6:00 AM – 12:30 PM PDT/9:00 AM – 3:30 PM EDT
Alzheimer’s Association Promoting Diverse Perspectives: Addressing Health Disparities Related to Alzheimer’s and All Dementias
June 14-16, 2021. A (free) virtual conference to support vital health equity in Alzheimer’s research. Includes two strategic focus shoulder meetings: American Indian and Alaska Native Health Disparities and LGBTQIA+ Health Disparities. Abstract submission closes on April 22, 2021.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION AND POLICY
Advocates praise new White House actions to counter rising anti-Asian violence: Includes reinstating the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, funding for AAPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, a Covid-19 Equity Task Force to address xenophobia, and a Justice Department cross-agency initiative addressing rising hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Statement by President Biden on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act: Reintroduced to the Senate in March, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would expedite the federal government’s response to the rise of hate crimes exacerbated during the pandemic, support state and local governments to improve hate crimes reporting, and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to Asian American communities.
House passes the Equality Act; APA calls for swift action in the Senate: Comprehensive civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community in several areas (e.g., employment, federal funding). It also fills critical gaps in federal antidiscrimination laws for all Americans.
APA secures key wins in COVID-19 relief legislation: The American Rescue Plan Act contains critical APA advocacy priorities, including nearly $4 billion in funding for mental health and substance use initiatives.
ACT NOW
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 passed the House of Representatives in March. For those who are interested in continuing to support this legislation, we urge you to reach out to your Senators’ offices via telephone and/or email.
Join APASI’s Call for Congressional Telehealth Service Coverage Protections: Contact your representatives to: 1) support the permanent expansion of audio-only tele-behavioral health services and removal of the in-person service requirement under Medicare; and 2) co-sponsor the Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act (S. 660).
In response to the brutal attack on a Filipino woman in NYC and the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, W. Kamau Bell posted: “One of the biggest ways that white supremacy wins is through convincing us to stay out of it or ignore it. The system encourages us to stand by while the world is on fire, which is why we have so much respect for firefighters who run directly into the fire. We all have to figure out how to be our own personal firefighters right now. Get involved at whatever level you can. None of us should be comfortable standing by while the world is falling apart around us.”
We hope to support our ANA community and allies in getting involved, along with offering outlets and resources for self-care and healing.