7 Ways To Help Fight AAPI Racism & Be An Ally
On March 16, 2021, a white male committed a hate crime at a massage parlor in Acworth, Georgia. He killed eight people, six of them being Asian women. Webster’s definition of a hate crime is, “Any of various crimes (such as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (such as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation).” This devastating killing spree has further traumatized the Asian community. Hate crimes against the Asian-American community have skyrocketed in the last year. Research released by reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate revealed nearly 3,800 incidents were reported in the course of the pandemic. If you are outraged and want to do more to help our AAPI sisters and brothers, this is an effective guide on ways to show your allyship to the AAPI community and help stop the racially charged hate crimes they are facing.
AVRE stands for Authentic, Versatile, Responsible, and Empowered. AVRE wants the public to be responsible for the safety of our society. We want to empower you and give you clear ways to help fight AAPI Racism now.
We’ve all seen the news reports, social media posts or maybe have experienced personally the rise in hate crimes and racism to the AAPI community. We need to amplify the horrific events that have taken place as this crucial for the hate crimes to stop. We must join forces to do what we can to protect the AAPI community.
1. SPREAD AWARENESS/AMPLIFY & SHARE STORIES
The increase in hate crimes and racism against the AAPI community must be shared to all platforms we use regularly. By heightening awareness of these events, we can better understand what has led to the increase in violent behavior to this minority. One thing to be cautious of when reposting from other profiles is to add trigger warnings for sensitive/graphic images. This can be shocking for people to see. We want to educate and inform the public and our followers while also being sensitive to our AAPI community. This is the easiest way for you to get information out there. Sharing posts of news profiles, celebrities, influencers, writers and social justice advocates that are well versed in explaining the message you want to get across on your platforms is the fastest way to help fight AAPI racism.
News sources & Celebrities to check out:
2. EDUCATE YOURSELF/BOOKS TO READ
Reposting isn’t enough. If we've learned anything from last summer’s social injustice movement, it’s that we need to be responsible for our own education of systemic prejudice and help fight AAPI racism. We don't want to overwhelm the AAPI community with the responsibility of dealing with the increase in hate crimes AND educating the non Asian people of the world. You, as an ally, need to take action and educate yourself on how systemic racism has plagued the AAPI community. This can be reading articles from credible news sources or by reading books that explain these issues in more detail.
Below is a list of books that you can read for a better understanding of the racism the AAPI community has faced & support Asian writers:
3. AAPI TO FOLLOW TO DIVERSIFY YOUR FEED
Another way to help fight AAPI racism and be a better ally is by diversifying your social feed. Follow accounts that within the AAPI community that are speaking on this issue. This COSTS YOU NOTHING but has a huge impact on the information you receive and the channels they come from. This also helps amplify awareness overall with reading how other people are helping out and communicating clear calls to action.
Some accounts to follow are:
4. ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT
If you have the resources and time to do more, supporting an organization that is focused on ways to help fight AAPI racism specifically is always a great way to be a better ally.
Here are some of the organizations to support:
@weareaanow
Features stories that are relevant to today’s Asian-Americans. From human interest docs to aspirational content, AANOW strives to tell stories that resonate with our Asian background in today’s modern world.
@goldhouseco
Forges the inclusive unity, representation and success of Asian and Pacific
@asianamericancollective
A collective of Dope Asians in music, media, entertainment and creative spaces. Here to connect, mentor and educate.
5. DONATE/ SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ASIAN RESTAURANT
If a donation is not in your budget right now, you can still support your local Asian restaurant community. Everyone needs to eat and ordering from a local Asian restaurant is a simple way to support them during this time. They need our support and buying a meal is definitely a great way to help fight AAPI racism and show your allyship.
GOFUNDME to donate to:
Support the Cause Against Anti-Asian Violence
6. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
The past year has been tough on everyone and now more than ever we need to take responsibility for our own mental health. During this time of increased racism to the AAPI community, make sure to check in on your Asian friends and family members to see how they are dealing with these added pressures. Not everyone has the resources to combat mental health issues during these dark times. Here is a list of mental health resources to use or share to your followers. This is also a way to be an ally and fight AAPI racism.
Resources to share:
Building a community for Asian mental health support
Run by Jenny Wong, this page has a comment thread of therapists willing to provide reduced/ free sessions to the AAPI community.
CRISIS LINE
1-800-273-TALK
ASIAN LANGUAGES
1-877-990-8585
CRISIS TEXT LINE
TEXT “CONNECT” TO 741741
7. DO NOT BE SILENT
Being silent is being complicit. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to say and people worry about saying the wrong thing when it comes to social/racial injustice. If you are not comfortable sharing your own words, repost things that connect with you or articulate the message of importance. Posts that explain how the AAPI community is feeling and being discriminated against in the world. Hopefully this guide will help you find ways to fight AAPI racism. AVRE stands united against racism and will continue to amplify our call for justice.
Rest in peace to Soon C. Park, Suncha Kim, Yong A.Yue, Hyun J. Grant, Xiaojie Tan, Delaina Yaun, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, your lives will not be lost in vain.
In the end, we all need to help and support each other as human beings. You should help fight systemic racism for all minorities. These are definitely great ways to start your journey to fight AAPI racism but this is just the beginning. This is a cause that will continue to grow and need attention. Constant education is a must. We must continue to fight and speak out against these hate crimes against the Asian community.