Asian American Support/Resource Guide

A CALL TO

ACTION

Asian American Support Resources

Author: Chloe Shih, colorsofchloe@gmail.com

Editor(s): Alfred Lam (Send Chinatown Love - NYC), Laura-Ann Chong (Canada), Emma Koh, Robert Yu, Irene Li, Rosie Chu,, Carrie Xu, Leonard Adler

Message me if you want to be an editor and provide more resources! I put this together pretty quickly, so might have details left out.

Video: Tech People: What You Can Do to Stop Asian Hate

Visual Summary:

https://youtu.be/cmX5xHpjkLo

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What Happened?

Summary of Events/Infographic Visual by Sammi Yeung
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Right before this, it was a slew of cultural appropriation:

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Statistics + Narrative

Shout-out to NextShark for covering these stories. It’s a small, bootstrapped startup. Support their fund:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLhtWu7hbup/

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What have we done? (Community)

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Netflix and Instagram speak up

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What have we done? (Policy)

Feb 23

California passes bill allocating $1.4 million to track anti-Asian bias and hate crimes (Sacramento Bee)

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Past Events

#StopAsianHate (Un)Hidden Discrimination in Fashion

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Clubhouse Talk with Daniel Dae Kim (Actor), Benny Luo (founder of NextShark), Lisa Ling (American journalist), Daniel Wu (Actor)

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https://www.facebook.com/events/760346497918603/?mc_cid=cc41709f12&mc_eid=1b5098df62

Hosted by Asian American Federation

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How to Help

1. Education

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2. Volunteer and Support

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3. Amplify

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4. Speak Up

Post Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXMFhtJwRf/

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@edacyu

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Other Cool Reads + Resources

What API ERGs can do in the wake of anti-API violence

https://melanielei.medium.com/what-api-ergs-can-do-in-the-wake-of-anti-api-violence-c91fa17345e5

How to support Asian American colleagues amid the recent wave of anti-Asian violence

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/19/how-to-support-asian-american-colleagues-amid-anti-asian-violence.html

Stand Against Anti-Asian Discrimination and Violence by Julia Li

https://medium.com/life-thumbtack/stand-against-anti-asian-discrimination-and-violence-682ea9be5150

Bystander Intervention Training

https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/

Physical Safety For Yourself and Your Loved Ones

Education and resources for how to protect yourself, your loved ones and communities against situations of civil unrest, violence, and general danger.

None of the following require any special conditions/experience/skills per se, though not all resources are available for free. For you skeptical sorts, the editor has no affiliation nor incentives for any resources listed, and has himself purchased/read/owned/experienced most but not all of the resources below.

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Also take note: some of these resources can lead into quite the rabbit holes. As a recovering perfectionist, the editor suggests for best effect that you choose 1 area/topic below that resonates with you and take action.

  1. Get certified in basic CPR/First Aid/AED: This is one single skill that any person can learn quickly that increases the chances of keeping someone alive until medical help arrives.
  1. American Heart Association: https://cpr.heart.org/en/courses/heartsaver-cpr-aed-course-optionsAmerican Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/lp/cpr-first-aid-aed-certification-new-heroIn the event that you’re not interested in spending any money but would like to learn the skills anyway, then consider seeking a reputable and up-to-date source on Youtube. The “up-to-date” part is significant b/c apparently as research develops, occasionally the protocols taught in the courses are changed. While the editor isn’t suggesting you skip out on the actual practice that a certified provider would provide you, having some skill here is better than nothing. (Unless you’re in a profession that requires up-to-date CPR/FA/AED, in which case this probably won’t apply to you BUT you may consider the benefits to having your partner/family/kids/friends get certified).Wilderness First Aid: If you travel frequently, spend a lot of time outdoors or away from urban centers, then you might benefit from the more in-depth Wilderness First Aid which instructs you in what to do when professional medical help may be an hour or more away—as history has repeatedly shown occurs not just in the “wild” but during and in the aftermath of natural disasters and related complications. Two of the most well-known and established providers include:SOLO: https://soloschools.com/training-information/ NOLS: https://www.nols.edu/en/coursefinder/courses/wilderness-first-aid-WFA/
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  1. Subscribe to sources of local community safety and news
    1. Nixle alerts: Many neighborhoods/cities use a service called Nixle, which they use to send out alerts of different sorts ranging from crime to road closures to other important alerts. Look up your neighborhood here to see if you can enroll: https://www.nixle.com . In the event that your locale doesn’t show up here, look up your town’s municipal webpage, police webpage, or probably faster, call your local non-emergency police phone to ask about this.
    2. Community Facebook groups: Obviously context-dependent but it seems many towns/cities nowadays have Facebook groups dedicated to in-city news, alerts, etc.
    3. Community mailing lists / radio stations
  1. Get a sense of common disaster preparedness for your area
    1. Somewhat surprisingly, there’s a decent government site dedicated to this topic where concerned citizens can start getting informed: https://www.ready.gov
    2. Once you have a general sense of items to prepare for, it’s also useful to research the most common emergency situations for your area to guide specific preparations.
    3. Additional resources:
      1. Disaster planning & important supplies to consider: https://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/mindset/disaster-planning-supplies/
      2. See if your community has a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). These are on a volunteer-basis and instruct you in ways to contribute to your community in the event of emergencies.
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  1. Run a “security audit” on your own home: If you feel a lack of safety around your home or neighborhood, these resources can immediately help make your home a less attractive target for criminals.
    1. Excellent piece on how to run a DIY home security assessment: https://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/physical-security/diy-home-security-assessment/
    2. Additional resources:
      1. Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life, Jason Hanson. Despite the clickbait-y title, this is an interesting and rather timely read from a former CIA agent. Contains a useful chapter on this home security topic as well as other related ideas.
  1. Get a “normal person” understanding of violence so you can avoid being a statistic. This may need some explaining, see sub-topics below.
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  1. This may sound weird if you’re not involved in law enforcement, military, violence-professions, or combat sports. But counterintuitively: gaining an understanding of the tool of violence (its causes, what it looks like outside of action movies, what its consequences are) makes normal, healthy people less likely to get in trouble because of it. See the first book under Additional Resources below for an amazing resource that describes this perfectly.Be aware that violent incidents have a before, during, and after. Practicing to see the “before” can increase your chances to avoid violence entirely, which is the only clean win. Understanding the “after” can keep you out of prison or legal troubles (in most places, fighting is itself illegal, not to mention the usage/deployment of weapons). And be wary of spending too much time preparing for the “during” at the expense of the before and after. A note on learning any martial arts, combat sports, self-defense, etc: First: Nothing in this section is meant as a specific endorsement nor disparagement against any business, training style, system, or school of thought.If you are choosing to study/learn any system of martial arts/combat sports/self-defense/weapons usage/etc, please be clear about your own goals so you can see whether your training is adequately preparing you for the situations you’re concerned for. As a specific example, the editor went from system to system over a course of 5+ years before realizing he was at base looking for a real understanding of violence prevention and not just the single approach often advocated by different systems
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  1. A note on carrying weapons (firearms or otherwise):First: If you’re even remotely considering the ownership and/or usage of any weapons then it’s critical you learn the self-defense laws in your area. There are a great many instances (referencing at least in the United States) of people who’ve claimed “self-defense” in the aftermath of a violent incident without understanding the legal ramifications and responsibilities of such a claim.If you must carry a weapon, please consider investing time into getting reputable basic training for it. This may include at minimum: laws around your specific weapon (for example in the USA, different states have different laws around legal knife size, as well as what types of knives are illegal); usage; storage; maintenance; and deployment. Remember how deliberate practice works: the more you can replicate the circumstances you may find yourself the better you’ll be preparing yourself for success.A note on firearms specifically: if you are someone who owns or are considering owning a firearm for the reason of personal/family safety (and of course if your country/area allows this), then please consider investing time into basic training for your weapon. This includes at minimum: Learn the laws around firearms, at least in your area/state: Yep, most people find this part boring. Of course it may be less boring than unwarranted prison time or worse so please seek a reputable, current source, e.g. https://www.pewpewtactical.com/gun-laws-state/ (one of many potential sources)While we’re talking laws, if you’re even remotely considering the ownership and/or usage of any weapons then it’s critical you learn the self-defense laws in your area
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  1. This is important enough that this is written both above and here because there are a great many instances (referencing at least in the United States) of people who’ve claimed “self-defense” in the aftermath of a violent incident without understanding the legal ramifications and responsibilities of such a claim.Learn basic firearm safety from a reputable sourceLearn basic usage, maintenance, and (legal) ownershipGet secure storage for the areas you intend to keep it: because the last thing any of us want is to hear another news tragedy of how curious children found and played with unsecured firearms.Practice your deployment.Additional resources:When Violence Is The Answer, Tim Larkin. Probably the single most useful resource your editor has come across in 30 years that addresses the scary topic of violence in a straightforward, digestible way that’s easily understandable for the everyday person who wants NOTHING to do with it.The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker. NY-Times Bestseller, apparently one of the world’s top-selling books (mentioned on their website) on preventing violence. Your editor found this to be a fascinating and extremely applicable read for better understanding and spotting human predators.
  1. Work toward physical fitness as defined by your own wants and needs. It wouldn’t be right to mention physical safety without noting that having a baseline level of physical fitness and health contributes positively to your long-term safety.
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  1. First: before trying any physically-intensive routines or anything much different than what your body is accustomed to, you may want to get the approval of qualified medical professionals.You can find a million resources online for this. The editor suggests experimenting to see what styles/instructors/communities you resonate with because ultimately what you do consistently matters more than the “effectiveness” of any one routine. Though ideally your routines give you more than they take away.Your own needs: If you’re not sure what these are before choosing a fitness regimen, it’s a good conversation to raise with someone in your network, whether your doctor or local trainer. E.g. The physical needs of your 60-year-old parent will likely differ greatly from the needs of someone desiring to complete a marathon and from the needs of someone who wants to win a powerlifting competition.A note on your wants: Worth noting there are no wants too big or small. And in case no one’s ever mentioned this, it’s also fine if this isn’t a priority for you. This topic area isn’t a space where you’ll be judged/shamed for having your own wants and priorities.A note on pain: This is a surprise to some people but experiencing pain consistently (during exercise or otherwise) is not normal. Specifically, sharp pain, burning, tingling or numbness are usually signs that something is not right with the body and needs attention before something gets worse. In those cases it helps to start troubleshooting by consulting qualified medical professionals (who ideally themselves are experienced with your activities of choice—this is the editor’s opinion and from his own experience).
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  2. Open a safe space for conversation on these topics with your family & friends:
    1. What’s better than 1 person doing something about their physical safety? All the people in your close circle and community, doing something about it!
    2. This can begin with a single conversation with someone you trust.
    3. Apply this idea to any of the topics mentioned in this Support Resource guide!

Yellow Peril Graphic

Creator: Sammi Yeung, Yellow Peril InfoGraphic

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AAPI Resources for Mental Health:

Asians Do Therapy:  https://asiansdotherapy.com/

Asians for Mental Health: linktr.ee/asiansformentalhealth

Asian Mental Health Collective: https://www.asianmhc.org/

Asian Mental Health Project: https://asianmentalhealthproject.com/

Brown Girl Therapy: linktr.ee/browngirltherapy

Inclusive Therapists:  https://www.inclusivetherapists.com/

Melanin Mental Health: https://www.melaninandmentalhealth.com/

Misfortune Cookies Podcast

National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association:  https://www.naapimha.org/

Project Lotus:  https://www.theprojectlotus.org/

South Asian Therapists:  https://southasiantherapists.org/

The Allied Minds:  linktr.ee/thealliedmindsco

Somatic Specific Therapy Sites:

Somatic Experiencing:  traumahealing.org

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Generative Somatics: https://generativesomatics.org/

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy:  https://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/

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