September 2024: Advancing AANHPI Safety and Education
TAAF enhances AANHPI safety through community studies, launches the AAPI History Hub for educators, and sponsors the Aconic podcast to reshape narratives.
Dear Friends,
I’m excited to share our newest projects that we hope will go a long way toward enhancing safety through community partnerships and fostering positive representations of AANHPIs in education.
This week, I was honored to introduce the results of our newest research report, AANHPI Perspectives: Seattle Safety Study, at a community convening in Seattle. The study sheds light on problems facing the local AANHPI community, as well as the resources needed to increase safety in communities, workplaces, and other public spaces. Sadly, the effects of anti-Asian rhetoric during the pandemic are still being felt today, but there is a path forward. By bringing together civic and community leaders under a common mission, we can align efforts and promote investment in services that support Seattle’s AANHPI population.
In this issue you’ll also read about an exciting new resource for K-12 educators, the AAPI History Hub. Education is a vital part of our work toward advancing AANHPI representation and belonging, and in countering hate as well. Until you see your community’s people, stories, and contributions valued as part of this nation’s history, it’s hard to feel a sense of belonging. The inclusion of Asian Americans in our nation’s narratives benefits all Americans by cultivating a shared sense of humanity. We think the History Hub will be a game changer in the teaching of AAPI history, and we can’t wait for you to check it out.
Also in this newsletter, we’ll introduce you to our new ACONIC podcast that we’re proud to be co-sponsoring, and take a look at the evolving representation of Asian American men in film in the New York Times. We’ll also share some takeaways from our first annual Anti-Hate National Network convening that took place this month.
Positive change for AANHPIs can happen in classrooms, in neighborhoods, and on movie screens. We at TAAF are grateful to continue this important work with partners and allies like you.
In solidarity,
Norman Chen
CEO, The Asian American Foundation
EDUCATION
Empowering educators with the AAPI History Hub
Free online tool provides a dynamic, easy-to-use database of vetted, classroom-ready resources designed to help teachers foster belonging and inclusion in classrooms
TAAF has launched The AAPI History Hub, a first-of-its-kind online educational platform designed to provide K-12 educators across the U.S. with access to high-quality curricular resources covering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history.
As more states have mandated the inclusion of Asian American history in K-12 curriculums, educators have faced a new challenge––finding standards-aligned materials to effectively teach AAPI history across all grade levels.
The AAPI History Hub aims to alleviate that problem by offering lesson plans, activities, articles, books, films, and other digital tools that can be filtered based on topic, time period, grade level, ethnicity of focus, and more.
Users can not only save resources into personalized lists of teaching materials, but also share resources with colleagues and contribute feedback, fostering a collaborative space for education professionals.
The AAPI History Hub is an ongoing collective project funded by TAAF and co-created with key partners and contributors including Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, and The Asian American Education Project.
ANTI-HATE
Advocating for AANHPI public safety in Seattle
New survey reveals that nearly 2 in 5 AANHPI Seattle residents have been the victim of an Anti-Asian incident in the past 12 months
In the past few years, AANHPIs living in Seattle have experienced a disturbing number of racially motivated attacks, from targeted home invasions to public hate incidents. To assess the state of public safety in Seattle, TAAF has released AANHPI Perspectives: Seattle Safety Study. The Seattle metro area has the fifth highest concentration of AANHPIs in the U.S. (16%), and our study results show that the AANHPI community still faces challenges to its safety.
Of the issues affecting AANHPIs in Seattle, Public Safety is among the most critical:
- 54% of AANHPIs in Seattle said that “public safety” was either a “major problem” or “somewhat of a problem” that needed to be addressed.
- Nearly 1 in 3 AANHPIs in Seattle said they personally feared being attacked.
Rates of experiencing or witnessing anti-Asian incidents indicate a public safety crisis:
- Almost 2 in 5 (38%) AANHPI residents have been the victim of an anti-Asian incident in the past 12 months.
- 1 in 5 respondents had been physically attacked in the past 12 months.
Anti-Asian incidents are severely underreported:
- Only 46% of survey participants who experienced an anti-Asian incident said they reported it to anyone at all; even less reported to law enforcement or community-based organizations who track incidents.
AANHPIs in Seattle are changing day-to-day behaviors out of fear:
- Nearly three out of four AANHPIs in Seattle (72%) adopted at least 1 avoidance behavior (such as not going out late at night or avoiding speaking in their native tongue in public) out of fear of being a target or victim of anti-Asian hate.
Earlier this week, TAAF convened community leaders, corporate partners, advocates, and supporters to rally around the Seattle community’s need for additional resources to help combat this issue. Together, fifty attendees and local partners discussed the unique challenges facing Seattle and potentials for collaboration to address them. Thank you to local partners Friends of Little Saigon for providing a venue for the convening, and to CISC, Filipino Community of Seattle, Korean Community Service Center, and UTOPIA Washington for providing insight into ongoing local efforts to support and uplift the community.
NARRATIVE CHANGE
Inspiring conversations with AAPI icons on new Aconic podcast
Aconic Podcast series challenges stereotypes through conversations with Asian and Asian American Icons
The Aconic Podcast is a new series featuring iconic Asian and AAPI leaders in candid conversation about the challenges and triumphs experienced along their journeys to success. It premiered this month on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube at @aconicpodcast. The first two episodes featured frank and unfiltered discussions with San Francisco 49ers President Paraag Marathe, followed by Debby Soo, CEO of Opentable. Upcoming guests include Andrew Yang, Founder, Forward Party; Manny Maceda, CEO and Chairman, Bain; Deb Liu, CEO, Ancestry; and Joe Bae, CEO, KKR. New episodes will debut every two weeks on Wednesdays.
The Aconic Podcast is sponsored by Altos Ventures, the founders of the Asian Alumni Chapter of Stanford Graduate School of Business, TAAF, and Gold House. It’s hosted by Soon Yu, an international speaker, award-winning and best-selling author, and Forbes contributor who has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and The New York Times.
ANTI-HATE
Joining forces for the first ever Anti-Hate National Network convening
Over 65 attendees including grantees and community leaders joined TAAF’s Anti-Hate National Network convening to strengthen communities through collaboration
On September 16 and 17, TAAF hosted its first ever Anti-Hate National Network convening to share the victories, challenges, and lessons learned in anti-hate and safety work, while fostering meaningful connections with over 50 grantee partners and allied organizations.
Programming included a workshop on building resilience & breathwork, a workshop on the potential policy impacts of policy consequences of the 2024 election on AAPI communities, a screening and panel discussion of Oscar-qualified animated short film American Sikh, a workshop on local media outreach for AANHPI organizations, and a session on the intersections between anti-AAPI hate and gender-based violence. This transformative gathering allowed attendees from across our Anti-Hate National Network to exchange ideas and insights, foster unity and strengthen our communities.
NARRATIVE CHANGE
AAPI Men in Film: The Shift from Stereotypes to Romantic Leads
Latest article from The New York Times series explores how Asian and Asian American male acting roles have evolved
The third piece from TAAF’s partnership with The New York Times explores the evolving representation of Asian American men in romantic lead roles in Hollywood. Western pop culture, past and present, has often emasculated Asian male characters. A new crop of lead Asian American actors including Kumail Nanjiani, Joel Kim Booster, Randall Park, and Manny Jacinto are challenging old stereotypes of Asian masculinity.
Read NYT's "Asian Men Are Finally Starting to Get the Girl (or Guy)"
LEADERSHIP
Welcoming new board leadership
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After serving as Chair of our Board of Directors since TAAF's founding, Li Lu has passed the baton to Joe Bae and Peng Zhao, who have stepped into new roles as Board Co-Chairs. We thank Li Lu for his continued dedication to TAAF and the countless hours spent advising and working with our leadership on the board's behalf.
Partner Spotlight
TAAF is honored to build with incredible community partners with the support of our AAPI Giving Challenge partners.
Each month we highlight the impact of their work and support of our grantees.
Meet our partners by clicking the image below to learn more about their work.
Jahajee supports Indo-Caribbeans impacted by gender-based violence to heal and become activists for change.
Welcome to Chinatown’s mission is to bolster its local businesses and entrepreneurs and to forge connections within and across our community, in order to keep Chinatown open as a beacon of cultural and economic resilience.
Convenings
TAAF in Community
ICYMI
Leading AAPIs in the news
In her new book, Connie Chung reveals what it’s like to be a woman breaking barriers in TV news.
Connie Chung’s new memoir, Connie, details her journalism career, her marriage to Maury Povich and what it means to be a trailblazer. READ MORE
Record-breaking Shogun wins 18 Emmys.
Shogun is the first non-English TV show to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. READ MORE
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California ensures eligible AAPI voters are informed and empowered to exercise their voting rights.
Our Anti-Hate grantee partner AJSOCAL created the Voting Rights Tools and Resources Hub which offers bilingual voters info on their legal rights and protections during the voting process. LEARN MORE
Asian American Federation hosts impactful conference exploring the rising influence of Asian Americans in public and civic life.
Join our NYC Anti-Hate Collaborative partner AAF on October 4th for an engaging presentation and panels on the growth of Asian American voters, the power of grassroots outreach, shifting voter attitudes, and the crucial role of the media in engaging voters. REGISTER HERE