FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2020
Media Contacts:
Donna Cirino, [email protected]
Bilen Mesfin Packwood, [email protected]
Anti-Racism Network Launched to Respond to Hate Against AAPI Communities
Network by AAPI Civic Engagement Fund Offers Resources, Data, Ways to Help Stop Racist Attacks
LOS ANGELES —Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations nationwide have come together to stop racist attacks, especially during the global pandemic, and offer resources to report incidents and ways to help victims recover.
The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund is investing $2 million in an anti-racism response network, which consists of 40 groups in 20 states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
“Anti-Asian rhetoric in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to violence and hate crimes against our communities, repeating historical racist and xenophobic patterns,” said Bo Thao-Urabe, senior program strategist at the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. “AAPI communities cannot remain neutral on racism. AAPI communities are a growing force in this country . We have to find ways to participate in the global uprising for justice and radical transformation. Our anti-racism response network and the Movement Hub are resources to help AAPI organizations do that.”
Along with the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, AAPI Civic Engagement Fund has launched the Movement Hub, a centralized platform created to amplify the on-the-ground activism and organizing within AAPI communities. The website offers resources for and by AAPI community organizations to promote cross racial unity and civic participation for realizing systemic and structural change.
“Covid-19 has exacerbated and highlighted inequities that have long affected our communities. It’s our hope that this site will be a useful tool to raise awareness on the intersectional issues impacting the AAPI community and other communities of color,” said Paul Ong, UCLA Luskin research professor and CNK director. “The resources on the Hub are aimed at facilitating connections between experiences and existing data in order to help communities live into radical solidarity.”
“The accumulation of data and information on the Movement Hub is amazing,” said Tracy Nguyen, program coordinator at Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. “This hub will help organizations, advocates, and individuals from all sectors and backgrounds find what they need to elevate their work.”
From March to the beginning of August, more than 2,500 hate crimes against AAPI people were reported, according to Stop AAPI Hate. And women were 2.4 times more likely to report being the victims of racist attacks than men. The Movement Hub allows people to report incidents and find resources to help victims. Data shows that crimes against AAPI communities are often inadequately captured by law enforcement agencies.
“AAPI communities are a growing force in this country and we refuse to be victimized,” said Sarath S. Suong, director of Southeast Asian Freedom Network. “We will stand up against hatred toward our communities, and we will fight to defeat racism that our Black and Brown siblings also face on a daily basis.”
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About the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund:
The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund fosters a culture of civic participation within AAPI communities by supporting the growth of AAPI groups as organizational movement and power building leaders that achieve specific policy, systems, and transformational change. For more information go to https://aapifund.org/