UCSF Denounces Anti-Asian Racially Motivated Attacks

 

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 Co-Chair, BCH San Francisco
Marsha Treadwell, PhD
DEI Co-Chair, BCH Oakland

Additional Statements from UCSF

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.

 

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

History of Anti-Asian Racism in US

Mental Health

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 EatzMadow 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.