Supporting the Asian-American Community

The following information was shared from Amplify.

Help us stop anti-Asian violence Just a handful of examples of the suffering that has taken place. The videos are appalling and difficult to watch.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/18/asian-american-attacks-elderly-woman-beats-attacker-san-francisco/4745168001/

Here are some local and national efforts, please consider attending, supporting, and/or sharing with others:

WNPR Where We Live: Show about anti-Asian violence will be Monday morning (March 22nd 9-10am). Guests who will be on during live portion are Professor Na-Rae Kim, interim director of Asian and Asian American Studies at UConn, and Professor Glenn Mitoma, director of Dodd Human Rights Impact program also at UConn. Taking calls around 9:40am. Asian advocates are encouraged to call in at 888-720-9677.

Join CAPABA on March 31st for a panel discussion titled: Stand Up, Speak Out, Be Seen: Moving From Violence to Equity & Inclusion for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Join a roundtable event on April 8th hosted by UConn Law School at which members from the Connecticut legal community can come together and for dialogue, education, and personal reflections.

#IAMNOTAVIRUS — An artist led initiative working to dismantle racism by guiding individuals to explore their personal stories. www.iamnotavirus.info #MakeUsVisible — An initiative to support senate legislation (S.B. No. 678) to include Asian Pacific American studies in Connecticut high school social studies curriculum. www.facebook.com/MakeUsVisibleCT, bipartisan support introduced by Senators Saud Anwar, Tony Hwang, Cathy Osten, and Derek Slap, which mandates the inclusion of Asian Pacific American studies as part of the Connecticut social studies curriculum. (2021SB-00678-R00-SB.PDF (ct.gov)

Connecticut Commission on Women Children Seniors Equity and Opportunity Asian Pacific American Affairs Subcommission resource page

https://wp.cga.ct.gov/cwcseo/asian-home/

Visit Stop AAPI Hate at https://stopaapihate.org/

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s hate-crime reporting and resource page at https://www.napaba.org/page/HateCrimeResources.

Support the legislation proposed by United States Representative Grace Meng (NY-06), First Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and United States Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Executive Board Member of CAPAC to reintroduce the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which seeks to address the ongoing hate and violence targeted toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by providing greater assistance with law enforcement response to COVID-19 hate crimes and by creating a position at the Department of Justice to facilitate expedited review of such cases. (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6721)

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Here are some mental health resources:

Therapist Directories

• APISAA Therapist Directory: Asian Mental Health Collective has a directory for Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American (APISAA) therapists.

• Southasiantherapists.org is a resource for people looking for South Asian therapists specifically. You can search the director for a therapist near you.

• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association hosts a list of therapists, mental health organizations, and service providers for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in all 50 states.

• Inclusive Therapists works to connect marginalized people with culturally responsive, identity-affirming therapists. The website includes a directory of therapists near you who offer in-person or teletherapy, and an option to get matched with a therapist.

• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network is committed to the mental health of queer and trans people of color (QTPOC) and offers a directory of QTPOC therapists.

Advocacy and Mental Health Information

• Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA): The AAPA's mission is to "advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education, and policy," according to its website. The website also includes a fact sheet, reports, and a section to sign up for the newsletter, plus resources specifically for AAPI LBGTQ+ folks.

• Asian American Health Initiative: The Asian American Health Initiative is part of the Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services, but offer general resources for all Asian-Americans seeking help, including informative PDFs, videos, and publications on mental health and therapy.

• Asian Mental Health Collective: Asian Mental Health Collective is focused on providing mental health care support and building a community for the Asian community worldwide. They work to raise awareness and challenge the stigma against mental illness. The website includes hotlines, a Google sheet directory of organizations, and more resources.

• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association: The mission of the NAAPIMHA "is to promote the mental health and well being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities" according to its website, and words to raise awareness. Some the resources include links to national Asian American Pacific Islander organizations, mental health advocacy organizations, and federal resources.

• Asians Do Therapy was started by licensed marriage and family therapist Yin J. Li, MA, LMFT. It highlights stories of Asian Americans' experience with therapy with the goal of raising awareness about good, culturally-informed therapy and help erase the stigma associated with seeking mental health help. The website also offers resources for people who are new to therapy, such as when to see a therapist.

The lists above were shared from this article.