Violent acts against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities have been on the rise. At UCSF, we are proud to be committed to dismantling anti-racism. Chancellor Sam Hawgood, UCSF Health CEO, Mark Laret, and Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Outreach, Renee Navarro issued an official statement (available in multiple languages) denouncing these racially motivated attacks. APASA also published a formal statement and included several ways for all of us to take action, speak up and be allies.
Our strength is our united communities. Together, we must speak up against racism and xenophobia of any kind while investing in our mental health through self-care and racial healing.
DATA
- According to NYPD data, anti-Asian hate crimes have risen by 1,900% in the past year.
- 40% of U.S. adults believe "it has become more common for people to express racist views toward Asians since the pandemic began" (Source: Pew Research)
- Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition aimed at addressing discrimination against the Asian community amid the pandemic, reported that it has received more than 2,808 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate from 47 states and Washington, D.C., from March 19 to December 31 last year. More than 7 percent of those incidents involved Asian-Americans aged over 60 years old.
- More than 1,800 racist incidents against Asian Americans were reported between March and May of 2020, according to a United Nations Report (Source: CBS News)
- The wave of hate crimes and racist remarks seem to stem from former president Donald Trump's xenophobic messaging, calling COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" or "kung flu" because the initial outbreaks were first identified in Wuhan, China.
BCH and UCSF Responds to Anti-Asian Racism
Statement from UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and the BCH Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council - March 19, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
As the leaders of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and the BCH Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, we lend our voices to the condemnation of the escalating attacks against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
The recent surge in assaults within these communities is acutely highlighted in the Bay Area at the intersection of age and race/ethnicity, and in the most recent violence in Atlanta, at the intersection of gender identity and race/ethnicity. We recognize the emotional toll that these tragedies take, and we stand in solidarity to support and protect all members of our BCH community.
We must also stand firm in our ongoing anti-racism work, and in doing so, acknowledge the long history of anti-Asian policies in our country, from the Chinese Exclusion act of 1882, to the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942, to the present-day hateful rhetoric linking the COVID-19 pandemic to Asians. This moment in history is a time to mobilize and transform our structurally racist systems to address inequities in health, economics, housing and justice.
In accordance with our PRIDE values, we want to ensure every member of our BCH community feels safe, included and heard. At BCH Oakland, we recently added the capability for employees to submit direct concerns about harassment and discrimination, similar to the process at BCH San Francisco. We also want to share resources that detail ways to support the AAPI communities, as well as resources to support your physical and emotional well-being, available on the BCH DEI website.
Now is a time to come together as a united community, to nurture cross-racial alliances, and to recommit our efforts toward building an organization rooted in justice and equity.
Sincerely,
Matt Cook
President, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals
Brandie Hollinger, MSN, RN
DEI/AR Co-Chair, BCH San Francisco
Marsha Treadwell, PhD
DEI/AR Co-Chair, BCH Oakland
Additional Statements from UCSF
- UCSF Statement on Anti-Asian Racially Motivated Attacks
- Statement from the UCSF Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance (APASA)
- Statement from the UCSF Center of Excellence for Immigrant Child Health and Wellbeing
The BCH Black Caucus stands in support of our Asian and Asian American colleagues at this very difficult moment. While attacks and harassment against people of Asian descent have long existed and have been a tragic aspect of this pandemic since its start, the recent escalation of violence is alarming. We stand in solidarity with colleagues, patients, families, volunteers, partners, and community members of Asian descent, and condemn injustice in all forms.
Together, we are better. Stop Asian Hate.
PIVOT Statement on the Murders in Atlanta
by Tung Nguyen, MD, the Stephen J. McPhee, MD Endowed Chair in General Internal Medicine and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) - March 17, 2021
SURVEY OF AANHPI HEALTHCARE PROVIDER & ANTI-ASIAN RACISM
UCSF’s Dr. Judy Tan is leading a study the experiences of healthcare workers during the pandemic related to harmful stereotypes and media representations of certain racial/ethnic groups. The study is calling all healthcare workers (broadly defined, e.g., therapists, medical assistants, nurses, physicians, psychologists, surgeons, dental hygienists) to complete a survey about their experiences during COVID-19. Survey questions range from physical and mental well-being, experiences with COVID-related stigma and harmful stereotypes of certain racial/ethnic groups, and experiences in working with patients during and prior to COVID-19. Responses will be kept strictly confidential and will not be asked to provide names or contact information except for their current zip code. The study has been approved by the UCSF Institutional Review Board. Respondents will also have the option to enter a raffle to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Participate in the survey.
EVENTS
Empowering our Asian Community - Self Defense Webinar (4/15 @12 pm)
The UCSF Police Department is dismayed and angry about the dramatic surge in attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in our community and around the country. It is our honor to offer to our UCSF community, this class in Self Defense and Safety Tips, completely free of charge. The UCSF Police Department’s diverse workforce, more than 40 percent of whom are of Asian descent, presents a team of eight certified Self-Defense and Active Threat instructors eager to share our collective knowledge in Self Defense, Safety, Situational Awareness, Survival Strategies, and Your Personal Weapons. UCSF PD hopes to turn the tide to one of Empowerment and Preparation, by building your confidence and sharing self-defense skills that you may implement, whether you are on campus or at home.
Self Defense & Safety Tips, Thursday, April 15, 2021, 12 pm – 2 pm
To register for this webinar, please click here. (https://ucsf.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqcOCgrD8pGNbdZ8q_BFvcx6NTlo
Anti-Racism Town Hall IV: Focus on Health System
Thursday, March 25, 12 noon - 1:15 pm
Join UCSF leaders and your colleagues for the fourth in a series of quarterly town hall meetings focusing on UCSF's Anti-racism Initiative. Jamie Phillips, BCH Chief Operating Officer, will be a panelist. We will discuss the current climate, opportunities, gaps, and initiatives.
Join via Zoom.
Food For Thought
Monday, March 29, at 12 pm - 1 pm.
Open to all BCH Staff - These "Food for Thought" sessions provide BCH staff a brave space to have open and honest conversations as we advance the work to dismantle structural racism. We recognize this work is not just about thoughts and behaviors, but about the heart and the spirit.
Background Information: Anti-Asian Racism
Join via Zoom
Please complete the survey and let us know what you think, whether or not you have been able to attend the sessions previously.
National Information
RESOURCES compiled by APASA
Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center
The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) is a coalition of community-based organizations that advocates for the rights and needs of the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Community in the greater Los Angeles area, with a particular focus on low income, immigrant, refugee and other disadvantaged sectors of the population. A3PCON has created the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center to encourage all who have witnessed or experienced micro-aggressions, bullying harassment hate speech, or violence to documnet these incidences. Incident Report Forms are in multiple Asian languages and English.
Take Action
- Foundations for Diversity Equity and Inclusion Training (complete this required UCSF training)
- Stop AAPI Hate and Stand Against Hatred (to report a hate incident and view data)
- Support and donate to local and national organizations in this comprehensive list compiled by New York Magazine (community restoration, enrichment, policy reform and social justice, legal defense, and LGBT and gender-based organizations)
- Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment from Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
- Self-Help for the Elderly (help provide assistance and support to seniors in the Bay Area)
- Hate is a Virus (how you can join the movement and raise awareness)
- Anti-Asian Violence Resources
Campaigns
- #Iamnotavirus
- Calls to #StopAsianHate take over social media - Harpers Bazaar, February 19, 2021
- Stop Asian Hate - A toolkit for addressing Anti-Asian Bias, Discrimination, and Hate
Dialogue and Teaching Resources
- WHO Social Stigma associated with COVID-19
- Teaching Tolerance: How to Respond to Coronavirus Racism
- Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus
- Show Up, Your Guide to Bystander Intervention
- Learn about Hate Crimes - US Department of Justice
- Learn about coded language from the National Education Association's EdJustice.
- Don't know what to say? Learn how to respond to everyday bigotry from the South Poverty Law Center
- 10 Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide from the South Poverty Law Center
- Free Bystander Intervention to stop anti-Asian/American Harassment and Xenophobia workshop by iHollaback.org
History of Anti-Asian Racism in US
- The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S. - PBS, April 9, 2020
- The long, ugly history of anti-Asian racism and violence in the US. - The Washington Post, March 18, 2021
- America's long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens - National Geographic, September 2, 2020
Mental Health
- Asian Mental Health Collective (building a community for Asian mental health support)
- National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (promote the mental health and well-being of the AAPI communities)
- Asian American Psychological Association (advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education and policy)
- Each Mind Matters (CA's mental health resource center)
- National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (resource guide of AANHPI service providers in all 50 states)
- NQAPIA- A Federation Of LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian And Pacific Islander Organizations (API Healer network and therapy resources list)
- UCSF Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (Confidential Psychological Counseling & Consultation Services)
- UCSF Student Health and Counseling (Counseling and Psychiatry Services)
- Self-Care Tips for Asian Americans Dealing with Racism Amid Coronavirus - Huffpost 4/1/2020
Supporting the Bay Area
Save Our Chinatowns, which originally started as a fundraiser in early 2020, now works to support local businesses in SF and Oakland Chinatowns.
Good Good Eatz is an Oakland-based organization that supports food businesses across the city by donating to businesses in need, helping them apply for financial relief, and providing social media and marketing expertise.
The Chinatown Community Development Center, which provides housing, workshops, and events for the SF Chinatown community, is currently accepting donations for their Feed + Fuel Chinatown campaign. In partnership with SF New Deal, funds will help provide hundreds of thousands of meals (from local restaurants) to Chinatown residents living in Single Room Occupancy housing.
The Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce supports and promotes businesses in Oakland Chinatown.
Stop AAPI Hate is a reporting center founded by SF-based advocacy organization Chinese for Affirmative Action as a response to rising racism and xenophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The center tracks and responds to hate crimes and incidents of discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Other Ways You Can Help:
Donate to the Oakland Chinatown Ambassador Program & Victims Fund, which is raising money for individuals and families affected by the recent increase in crime and assaults. Or volunteer as a Chinatown Ambassador.
Donate to Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Donate to Red Canary Song, a grassroots collective of Asian and migrant sex workers that organizes in the US and transnationally.
Purchase merch from the Asian X Black X Unity collaboration by Good Good Eatz, Madow Futur, and Tarika Lewis.
Continue to support Asian-owned restaurants by ordering takeout (directly from the restaurant when you can), being kind, and tipping well.
Follow Asians 4 Black Lives to hear about upcoming rallies, marches, and vigils, more ways to donate, and how to stand in solidarity with both the Asian and Black communities.
Report any hate crimes you might witness to Stop AAPI Hate using this link.
ARTICLES
- Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150% in 2020, mostly in NY and LA - NBC News, March 9, 2021
- Anti-racism resources to support Asian American, Pacific Islander community - NBC News, March 10, 2021
- California allocates $1.4 million to track and stop attacks against Asian Americans - CNN, February 25, 2021
- Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise. Many say more policing isn't the answer - Time, February 18, 2021
- How you can join the Stop Asian Hate Movement - OprahMag, February 23, 2021
- Resources for Allyship and Fighting Anti-Asian Discrimination - Airbnb, February 12, 2021
- The rise in anti-Asian attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic - NPR, March 10, 2021
VIDEOS