Stop Asian Hate: In Solidarity With AAPI Communities
Written by Sarah Johnson
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
Racist violence is on the rise against Asian-Americans in our country.
Most recently on March 16, 2021 where 8 people, including 6 Asian-American women, were brutally murdered in the Atlanta region. It is a reminder that nothing is going to change with a statement; things will only change with action. We condemn the racism and the misogyny that motivated these murders. We are heartbroken for the families impacted by this violence. We grieve with them.
If you want to support the families, you can access this donation page which was created by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta “to help the victims and their families, and the AAPI community in Georgia impacted by the violent acts that took place on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.”
And we have unending empathy for the additional trauma brought on by de-prioritized, uncritical, and ahistorical news coverage. Why are we using the perpetrator’s quotes as fact? Why are we humanizing the murderer with stories of his life? This type of news can be endlessly traumatizing for anyone who has experienced racist or sexist violence. It reminds you of the fear of gaslighting, the feeling that people will believe the perpetrator over you, which often happens. We also have empathy for the children who are taught to be uncritical during this time--taught in blatant and subtle ways to humanize white men but not Asian women, not women of color, not women. But that’s where teachers come in. We all have a role to play and educators are no different.
It is important to analyze and discuss recent events with students in critical and historical ways that get “below the iceberg” of what we hear on the news. These discussions can help students see the whole system and when we can see the system, then we can change it. We are sharing some of the same resources that we shared two weeks ago (see below) and some new ones:
Resources to use during Women’s History Month
Now is also the right time to teach students about Asian-American women social justice leaders like Grace Lee Boggs, an Asian-American intersectional feminist, whose authorship, and community and labor activism have a lasting impact to this day.
Resources to Combat Anti-Asian Rhetoric and Violence
In order for educators to embrace Criticality, it is important to discuss recent acts of COVID-19-fueled racism with our students to dismantle oppression. Need resources?
Check out Immigrant History Initiative’s exceptional website committed to sharing resources focused on “Illness & Racism: Responding to Anti-Asian Racism during the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic.” There, you can find resources like:
A free facilitation guide for educators that uses a restorative justice framework to foster empathy and understanding; and
An easy 1-2-3 bystander intervention graphic to empower people to speak up when they see racist incidents.
Meanwhile, all of us can:
Acknowledge the recent news of anti-Asian violence, and give space to process, grieve, act, and heal.
Educate ourselves on the history of Asian-Americans in America - The PBS docuseries “Asian Americans” is an excellent start.
Enter into inter-community and inter-racial dialogue and acknowledge that we all need to be in this together.
Make a financial donation to support specific Asian-American organizations or a collective of organizations.
Check-in with AAPI family, friends, and community members, to ask “How are you doing?” and “What do you need?”
