TAAF Announces Its Anti-Hate
National Network, Including The Launch of AAPI Action Centers in Chicago, New
York City, and Oakland
TAAF Also Unveils AAPI Emergency
Relief Fund in Partnership with GoFundMe to Support Victims of Anti-AAPI Hate
and Violence Across the Country
WASHINGTON, DC, September 28, 2021 — The Asian American
Foundation ("TAAF"), a convener, incubator, and funder for the Asian
American and Pacific Islander ("AAPI") communities, today announced
the launch of TAAF's Anti-Hate National Network (the “Network”), which includes
AAPI Action Centers (“Action Centers”) to combat anti-AAPI hate. TAAF
also unveiled its AAPI Emergency Relief Fund in partnership with GoFundMe to
drive the quick deployment of resources to victims of anti-AAPI hate and
violence.
TAAF
launched in May 2021 to solve for the longstanding lack of investment and
support provided to AAPI communities. Since then, TAAF has been focusing its
efforts on three strategic priorities: data and research, anti-hate, and
education. TAAF is taking a dual approach to addressing the onslaught of
anti-AAPI hate that continues in communities throughout America: tackling hate
nationally through its Anti-Hate National Network and locally through AAPI
Action Centers. TAAF aims to build a new model that brings AAPI communities
together, creates a greater sense of belonging, and puts ideas into action.
TAAF's
Anti-Hate National Network is a unique investment that aims to provide greater
coordination and collaboration between a diverse set of organizations working
to combat anti-AAPI hate by assembling them as part of a shared effort to
better ensure resources get to where they are needed. Organizations have been
included in the Network because they are providing critical resources to AAPI
communities that TAAF wants to invest in and help grow in order to scale better
anti-hate tracking, protection, response, and prevention measures. The
following organizations have received initial grants from TAAF and are now part
of its Network: Act
to Change, Asian American Journalists Association, Interfaith Youth Core, National Asian Pacific American Bar
Association (NAPABA), RISE
Together Fund,
Sikh American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (SALDEF), and Sikh Coalition.
To
address anti-AAPI hate locally, TAAF is piloting AAPI Action Centers led by on-the-ground
partner organizations that will serve as hubs for addressing hate in their
respective cities. TAAF has provided funding to those lead organizations to
help them grow the impact of their existing anti-hate services and engage in
new programming led by TAAF. Each Action Center will be connected to each
other, and they will feed into the umbrella of TAAF’s Anti-Hate National
Network to ensure best practices are being transmitted between the national and
local levels of work. The Action Centers will engage with partners in local
government, media, and business to provide resources and solidarity for
communities impacted by anti-AAPI hate, and they’ll work with TAAF to identify
opportunities to standardize anti-hate measures for future Action Centers.
“Since
our launch, we have been laser-focused on using TAAF’s unique position to
protect AAPI communities from hate now and in the future,” said Sonal Shah,
President of TAAF. “Our AAPI families, friends, and neighbors continue to be
blamed for the pandemic. The launch of our Anti-Hate National Network, AAPI
Action Centers, and AAPI Emergency Relief Fund is TAAF’s full-throated response
to the hate happening in our communities that for too long has gone unchecked.
Make no mistake, we plan to unleash the resources and tools necessary to take
on the crisis of hate and create a broader sense of belonging — we’re just
getting started.”
For
its AAPI Action Centers, TAAF is starting with three pilot cities, Chicago, IL,
New York, NY, and Oakland, CA:
- Chicago:
Chinese American Service League (CASL) will serve as the Chicago AAPI Action
Center and has received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its
Client Advocacy Unit, which includes comprehensive victim support
including mental and primary health, legal services, housing, employment,
and care coordination. CASL is also building its journalistic readiness
program to ensure effective, impactful media coverage of anti-AAPI hate
incidents. In addition, CASL will expand the work of its signature
Community Equity Research Center which offers opportunities to expand
cross-racial solidarity through education, advocacy, and community
building.
- New York City: The
Asian American Federation will serve as the NYC AAPI Action Center and has
received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its Hope Against Hate Campaign which offers preventative safety trainings like upstander intervention and
self-defense strategies, robust victim support services, and centralized
ways to report assaults in order to get connected to services. The Asian
American Federation is also spearheading a safety ambassador program to
train volunteers in NYC to accompany AAPI community members in public
places to help curb assaults and harassment.
- Oakland:
Asian Health Services (AHS) will serve as the Oakland AAPI Action Center and
has received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its high-caliber
health and wellness services, as well as its advocacy for health care
equity for AAPIs. As part of its Action Center offerings, AHS is providing
a trauma care unit, referral linkage services, and community level
interventions to counter anti-AAPI hate. TAAF is also working with AHS on
its African American / Asian American Racial Trauma Project, which aims to
create a body of knowledge focused on racial trauma in African American
and AAPI communities in order to understand how these experiences impact
race relations and emotional wellbeing.
“We
are grateful for this opportunity to work with The Asian American Foundation
(TAAF) as the Chicago hub in this bold, national anti-hate initiative,” said
Paul Luu, CEO of Chinese American Service League (CASL). “Through partnerships
with city and community leaders, we will respond to incidents of hate and
provide victim emergency services through our Client Advocacy Unit. We will
engage with community partners to better respond to and prevent acts of hate.
We will build cross racial partnerships to foster learning, safety, and
security. And, we will stand together with one voice that shouts, ‘Chicago will
not tolerate acts of hate against any person, regardless of their race, gender,
or ability.’”
“New
York is one of the greatest cities in the world, so it is especially
disheartening to those of us who love this city that it has become an epicenter
for anti-AAPI hate,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of The Asian American
Federation. “The hate incidents AAPI New Yorkers have had to endure on the
subways and streets are near-constant, and so we welcome TAAF’s investment in
the work being done to keep vulnerable AAPI communities safe. We’re grateful
that TAAF has empowered us to do more to connect our communities with critical
safety resources and we are pleased to take on
this important role as the city’s AAPI Action Center.”
“California has seen the largest proportion of anti-AAPI hate incidents in the country since the pandemic
hit,” said Sherry Hirota, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Health Services.
“Oakland and the Bay Area have a long history of advocacy and activism. Not to
be blamed or ignored, our AAPI community is strong and resilient. Racism and
anti-AAPI hate are public health issues and the solutions will be long term and
complex. We are in this to respond with real and practical solutions now, but
also for the long haul, working within the AAPI community, and building on this
region’s rich legacy of coalition-building with communities of color to
advocate for the health and safety of all. We are honored to join forces with
TAAF and serve as Oakland's hub for fighting anti-AAPI hate."
TAAF
also wants to ensure it can provide immediate, flexible support to the victims
of hate incidents who are in urgent need of help. So TAAF created an AAPI
Emergency Relief Fund in partnership with GoFundMe. TAAF has seeded the fund
with an initial investment of $500,000 for victims of anti-AAPI hate, and
partnered with GoFundMe to help grow those funds with additional community
donations. To donate to the fund, please visit GoFundMe’s website. For more information about
the fund, please visit TAAF’s website.
Since
its launch, TAAF has committed over $7 million to its anti-hate efforts which,
in addition to today’s news, have included the development of its Rapid Response Toolkit, its Documenting Anti-AAPI Hate Codebook in partnership with Stop
Anti-AAPI Hate, and an interfaith mobilization toolkit designed by the InterFaith
Youth Core for college campuses.
This Thursday,
September 30, TAAF will co-host a virtual event with NextShark: “From Hate to
Hope - Building a National Network for Belonging.” TAAF President Sonal Shah
will be joined by Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06), Benny Luo, Founder &
CEO of NextShark, Thu Quach of Asian Health Services, and Jo-Ann Yoo of the
Asian American Federation. Amna Nawaz with PBS NewsHour will moderate the
event. Please register and join us for this
exciting event.
