How To Be An Asian American Ally
The hits keep coming.
But we'll keep fighting.
It has been one hell of a few weeks. I hope you've been able to take care of yourselves in the midst of getting hit by tragedy after tragedy — especially our Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Boulder friends.
We are enraged by the anti-Asian violence we have been witnessing in our country. While anti-Asian racism is not new, it has steadily been on the rise since early 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic.
Anti-Asian hate crimes are up a staggering 1,009%, and since March 2020, there have been an estimated 3,800+ cases of anti-Asian hate crimes committed against the Asian American community all across the country. And these are only the crimes that have been reported — 90% of hate crimes committed against Asian Americans go unreported for many reasons, including cultural tendencies to stay quiet and not cause disruption, language barriers and lack of language accessibility, and distrust of the government and law enforcement.
These hate crimes have specifically targeted two of our most vulnerable populations: Asian elders and Asian women — as we witnessed in the Atlanta spa shooting last Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
As people who support us, and more specifically me, Chi, I ask that you stand with us in solidarity as we fight for justice for the Asian American community. Below are four things you can do to be an Asian American ally.
To my Asian American and Pacific Islander family — I see you, and I'm grieving and raging right along with you.
With love,
Chi & Greg
1. Learn About Asian American History
and Anti-Asian Racism in America
Violence, inequality, and racism against Asian Americans is not new. It's embedded and buried in our history. Take the time to learn about our history and the injustices the Asian American community has been facing in this country since the 1800s. This is a list of documentaries, news sources, and organizations that serve the AAPI community.
Asian Americans @ PBS: 5-part documentary series
NextShark: leading source for Asian American news
Stop AAPI Hate: an organization that tracks and responds to incidents of anti-Asian hate and violence
Asian Americans Advancing Justice: a legal and civil rights organization serving low-income AAPI communities
Asian American Federation: a nonprofit that aims to overcome the significant obstacles that Asian Americans face by empowering AAPI nonprofits to better serve their communities
Asian Mental Health Collective: an organization dedicated to normalizing and de-stigmatizing mental health within the Asian community
AAPI Women Lead: an organization dedicated to empowering AAPI women to become leaders in politics, business, technology, and education
2. Listen to Asian American Stories
Stories help us connect with one another. While we definitely need more of our stories to be told, we do have films you can watch and books you can read to learn more about who we are and where we come from. This is a list of movies, TV shows, video series, podcasts, and books, that highlight the Asian American experience.
Minari: film about a Korean American family in rural Arkansas
The Farewell: film about a Chinese American family going back to China
Happy Cleaners: film about a Korean American family in Queens
Kim's Convenience: TV series about a Korean Canadian family in Toronto
#AsianAmCovidStories: AAPI stories during the time of COVID-19
Korean American Story's Legacy Project: oral history video project
K-Pod: podcast about Korean Americans in arts and culture
Self Evident: podcast about Asian America
The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi
Not Quite Not White by Sharmila Sen
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
3. Take Action, Donate, and Get Involved
Our liberty is bound together. If you see an Asian person being verbally or physically assaulted, do something. Say something. Attend a virtual bystander intervention training. Go to an anti-Asian racism protest in your city and join our fight. Have tough conversations with your non-Asian friends and family members about anti-Asian racism.
Donate to organizations that focus on advancing justice and equality for the Asian American community. Donate to the Atlanta spa shooting victims' memorial funds on gofundme. Venmo your Asian friends some money for dinner. And make regular donations to your local Asian-owned dry cleaners, laundromats, restaurants, delis, convenience stores, and liquor stores.
Get creative. These are just a few things you can do to show us that you care.
Anti-Asian Racism Bystander Intervention Training: free training sessions hosted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Hollaback
Yong Ae Yue's Memorial Fund
Xiaojie Tan's Memorial Fund
Suncha Kim's Memorial Fund
Hyunjung Kim's Memorial Fund
Elcias Hernandez Ortiz's Medical Expenses Fund
Eunja Kang's Survivor Fund
4. Support Asian American Creators
We are a small but mighty crew of incredible Asian American creators, doing really incredible things.
As Asian Americans, we have barriers to pursuing and reaching success in the arts, including family pressures, financial limitations, and a significant lack of privilege and access to opportunities than our white counterparts.
Our voices are imperative in these spaces.
This is a short list of up-and-coming Asian American artists, comedians, filmmakers, writers, and creators — many of whom are our friends! I would love for you to check out there work and support them financially, so that more Asian Americans can thrive in the arts, more of our stories can be told, and our voices can continue to be heard.
Chi & Greg: patreon.com/chiandgreg
Run River North: patreon.com/runrivernorth
Philippe Lazaro: philippelazaro.com/journal
David You: davidyou.bandcamp.com
Jennifer Chung: jenniferchung.com
The Futuristic Vintage: thefuturisticvintage.com
Joon Chung: thejooniverse.com
Angel Yau: angelyau.com
Jessica Rowboat: jessicarowboat.bandcamp.com
Sarah Kang: instagram.com/sarahkang
Jay Miners: jayminersmusic.com
Treya Lam: treyamakesmusic.com