As social workers and counselors, it is part of our ethical duty to take a stand against all forms of oppression and to pursue social change on behalf of marginalized groups of people. The AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) communities have endured discrimination for centuries, however the racism and violence targeting these communities has gotten more attention since the start of the pandemic and most recently, with the mass shooting in Atlanta that killed 6 Asian women and 2 others. Below are several action items from StopAapiHate.org that you can take to show solidarity and take a stand against Anti-Asian racism.
1. Report incidences of Anti-Asian hate crimes online at stopaapihate.org. Reporting these incidences helps provide an accurate representation of what is going on, which influences which policies are written and advocated for.
2. Share the following safety tips with friends or family members who might witness or directly experience hate. These are offered in several languages: https://stopaapihate.org/safety-tips-english/
3. Donate. GoFundMe has central page for all AAPI fundraisers at gofundme.com/aapi. You can also donate directly to Stop AAPI Hate, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, or Red Canary Song.
4. Get involved in your community. Ask your elected officials what they are doing for intervention and prevention-based efforts against Anti-Asian racism. Advocate within your workplace or school to denounce Anti-Asian racism and encourage everyone to work toward racial justice.
5. Support Asian-owned businesses. Many Asian-owned businesses have reported a decline in business even before the first coronavirus case was reported in the US and shut-down orders were enacted. If you are in the Phoenix area, check out Mekong Plaza in Mesa, with 30+ Asian owned businesses in a concentrated area along Dobson Road.
6. Stay informed. If you are on Instagram, consider following the following accounts to stay updated: @stopaapihate; @asianamericancollective; @asians4antiracism.
As Angela Davis once said, it is not enough to be quietly nonracist. We must be actively anti-racist. Together we can make a change.