These groups are organizing for equity and justice, and you can help out right now by getting involved from home.
Over the past year, at least 3,800 hate incidents against Asian Americans have been reported amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which activists say were stoked by misinformation and rising anti-Asian rhetoric from political figures and media pundits.
The shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday that killed eight people, including six Asian women, took place amid this violence and further highlighted discussions about years-long harassment and discrimination against people of Asian descent in the US and around the world. While officials are still investigating whether hate crime charges should be brought against the shooting suspect, according to AP, advocates say there can be no obscuring the bigger picture.
“That the Asian women murdered yesterday were working highly vulnerable and low-wage jobs during an ongoing pandemic speaks directly to the compounding impacts of misogyny, structural violence, and white supremacy,” said Phi Nguyen, litigation director at Asian American Advancing Justice in Atlanta, in a statement.
Anti-Asian hatred in the US isn’t happening in a vacuum, shaped only by COVID-19 misinformation. It’s taking place against the backdrop of history. Between imperial wars of aggression, domestic policies of exclusion, and offensive media depictions, bigotry against Asians is deeply embedded in US society.
The fight for racial justice requires that everyone learn this history and understand how it continues to shape reality today. It also requires everyone to show solidarity with Asian Americans and take concrete steps to stop hatred and violence, including learning how to engage in bystander intervention.
Countless grassroots groups across the US are organizing in their communities and building intersectional alliances to achieve equity, inclusivity, and justice.
Here are nine non-profits and mutual aid groups focusing on Asian American rights that Global Citizens can support.