At the end of April, VPM hosted "Breaking the Cycle of Asian Hate," an online conversation with local Asian-Pacific Islander (API) leaders about the historic nature of anti-API racism and what actions our community can take to #StopAsianHate.
Laura Pho, community activist and API advocate, led a broad discussion with panelists May Nivar, Chair of the Asian & Latino Solidarity Alliance and the Virginia Asian Advisory Board; Ting-Yi Oei, Director of the Asian American Education Project for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC; Natalie Nguyen Woodruff, Vice-President of the Service Employees International Union - Fairfax Chapter; and Farah Chowdhury, Epidemiologist and Regulatory Consultant at a multi-national scientific consulting firm.
More than 160 community members from Virginia and beyond signed up to be a part of the panel’s conversation, which focused heavily on the need for Virginia K-12 curriculum to include API history and culture, resources to report anti-API racism, and ways the community can become civically involved in changing the system.
A list of educational resources and links for further action is available at the end of this article.
You may view a recording of the panel discussion below. A transcript is available as is the webinar chat, featuring advice and personal stories of the participants as they listened to the panel.
In celebration of Asian-Pacific Islander month, VPM is rebroadcasting the five-part docuseries, Asian Americans, Sundays at 4 p.m. during May. Go to the VPM television schedule for additional air times.
You can also stream Asian Americans anytime on VPM Passport. Go HERE to learn more about how to access our streaming service.
RESOURCES
- BOOKS
- The Fortunes, Peter Ho Davies
- Driven Out: The Forgotten War against Chinese Americans, Jean Pfaelzer
- The Making of Asian America: A History, Erika Lee
- America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States, Erika Lee
- The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental Railroad, Gordon H. Chang
- A Nation of Nations: A Story of America after the 1965 Immigration Law, Tom Gjelton
Water Tossing Boulders: How a Family of Chinese Immigrants Led the First Fight to Desegregate Schools in the Jim Crow South, Adrienne Berard
- WEBSITES & HOTLINES
- The 1882 Foundation has an abundance of resources including more books and links to key organizations. It also has a list of collaborating institutions from the Smithsonian to libraries, and museums around the country. For teachers there is an education linkthat includes several lesson plans.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice Center - AAJC: Asian American Pacific Islander COVID19 resources.
- The Asian American Education Project, offering online lesson plans featuring a tailored K–12 curriculum for educators to teach the rich history of Asian-Pacific Islanders in our country to students.
- I Holla Back: Bystander intervention training.
- Stand Against Hatred: Report a hate incident - available in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean.
- Count Us in 2020: Census resources for the Asian American Pacific Islander community - including fact sheets in 23 Asian Pacific Islander languages.
- Iolani Palace: A Hawaiian Place of History, Power, and Prestige - Lesson plan on Hawaiian culture and history.
- Telling All Americans’ Stories: Introduction to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
- The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Board and Commissions website offers instructions on how to apply for gubernatorial appointments and become civically involved at the state level.
- My Chesterfield Academy: a free program that empowers Chesterfield residents, particularly those from multicultural communities, to understand and navigate Chesterfield County’s government, as well as connect to other community resources.
- My Henrico Academy: Similar to My Chesterfield Academy, this free, interactive, once a month program gives participants a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the many ways Henrico’s local government functions.
- Statistics from the Pew Research Centerabout the recent rise in Asian-American violence.
- Election information hotline: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) - available in English and eight Asian languages.
