Dear Friends and Allies,
We at Mission Graduates are horrified and saddened by the domestic terrorist attack in Georgia. From the incidents of this week to the violence we’ve seen here in the Bay Area, we stand with our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in denouncing this hatred and committing to combat the prejudices that fuel it.
One of Mission Graduates’ core values is to promote equity by ensuring that those who have a need receive our support and encouraging those able to give support to others. In the spirit of belief, we condemn the senseless acts of violence and bigotry against the AAPI community and extend our support and empathy.
Acts of violence and discrimination against the AAPI community have increased at an alarming rate, particularly since the start of the pandemic. A new report by Stop AAPI Hate cites 3,800 anti-Asian attacks this past year alone. 44.56% of the reports received by STOP AAPI Hate came from California. And while the number of reported incidents represent only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that occur, it speaks more broadly to the injustices that the AAPI community faces every day.
If you, your loved ones – or especially your children – are in need of resources during this troubled time, we’ve compiled some beginning materials.
- Read these tips from Talking to Children about Hate Crimes by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
- Check out this guide to responding to racism toward Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, published by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project.
- Learn more about local organizations combatting anti-Asian discrimination and lifting up our neighbors and elders, such as Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and San Francisco State’s Asian American Studies Department.
- Get updates on news and find new ways to take action on the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s website.
- Continue your own anti-racist learning by reading about the American history of racism towards AAPI communities and the Model Minority Myth from Massachusetts’ Asian American Commission and the Southern Poverty Law Center, respectively.
Change requires collective action. Stand up and help us shape a better future.
In community,
Mission Graduates