By now, many of us will have heard about the horrendous mass shootings in metro-Atlanta last night. Of the 8 confirmed deaths at 3 different massage parlors, 6 were Asian women. 4 of these Asian women were Korean.
While the perpetrator’s explicit motivations have yet to be confirmed by the police, this latest violent crime has been haunting Asian Americans living in the US, especially in the context of rising anti-Asian violence in the past year. According to the New York Times, “Nearly 3,800 hate incidents targeting Asian-Americans have been reported in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. since last March” (read the original report).
Whether you identify as Asian or not, if you too are horrified by yesterday’s mass shootings in Atlanta, here are 6 specific ways you can take action to support and ally with our Asian communities.
1. Get trained on how to safely intervene when you see anti-Asian harassment happening to you or to others.
In response to the rise in Anti-Asian harassment, Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice have partnered together to offer a free 1-hour training, covering bystander intervention and conflict de-escalation.
Each training is capped at 1,000 people, and there are several dates & times to choose throughout April.
Note: As of 3/17, 2:17pm PST, these trainings may now be full. Instead, check out Hollaback’s web article on Bystander Intervention Resources.
Note: As of 3/29, 1:16pm PST, iHollaback has expanded its training schedule. Keep checking their sign up page for available session dates and times.
2. Report anti-Asian incidents that you see or hear about.
StopAAPIHate is a reporting center launched in March 2020 to track and respond to incidents of hate, harassment, and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US. If you see or hear about a hate crime, you can report it safely here.
Report an incident (8 languages supported)
3. Help your friends & family get the mental support they may need.
Therapy is still quite stigmatized in the AAPI community, particularly among older generations. NQAPI is a federation of LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander organizations, and their API Healer Network is a helpful source of API-friendly healing.
You can also check out Psychology Today for certified Asian therapists near you. If cost is an issue, ask if they offer sliding scale fees.
Get support: API Healer Network, Psychology Today
4. Get informed about the history of anti-Asian violence in the US.
I assume many of us may not have time to take a full course, so here are two short, 5-min reads, in the form of Twitter threads.
Michael Li, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, wrote a Twitter thread last year about the historic parallels between anti-Asian hate crimes from the past to the present.
Faith Liu, a screenwriter and director, wrote a detailed Twitter thread about the history (from oldest to most recent) of xenophobia and anti-Asian violence in the US.
5. Donate, if you can.
Here are some organizations & resources to consider supporting:
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Atlanta) is a legal nonprofit dedicated to fighting for civil rights for Asians in Georgia and the Southeast US. Donate here.
- Note: As of March 17 5:47PM, AAAJ has also set up a donation fund to directly help the victims & their families impacted by the violent shootings on Tuesday. To contribute, donate here.
- National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Atlanta (and other cities across the US), that is dedicated to building power with AAPI women and girls. Donate here.
- Given US history around anti-Asian discrimination/assumed sex work, and the location of these shootings at massage parlors, it’s important to acknowledge the impact of sexualization and commodification of Asian women in our society. Red Canary Song is a grassroots collective of Asian & migrant sex workers, organizing for justice and police accountability. Learn more & donate here.
- 61 Ways to Donate in Support of Asian Communities: Published by NYMag, this article contains a rich resource of fantastic organizations working to rebuild & support Asian communities, from policy reform to legal defense to community enriching.
6. Amplify & share with your community.
Share these resources for anyone in your network: your friends, family, coworkers, etc. If you’ve found any other helpful resources, please also comment below, so others can see them.
One Last Thought, for now.
An attack on one community is an attack on us all.
The truth is: throughout its entire history, the United States has continued to struggle with addressing its violent past regarding race, equity, and justice. Our country is in the midst of a broader, and deeply rooted, racial, xenophobic, and misogynistic reckoning.
Whether you choose to support using your voice, your time, or another way, one thing is true: we cannot let history repeat itself. This culture of white supremacy and power is centuries in the making and it will be centuries in the undoing.
This is an ongoing battle and one that will need every single one of us. I hope these steps will serve as a helpful reminder on small actions you can take to make a difference.
Let’s come together.
This article was originally posted as a Twitter thread here. Special thanks to Ivy Teng-Lei & Jordan Zhang for your edits & review on this piece.
