In the wake of heightened violence and hate attacks against the AAPI community, MNAPABA has compiled the following community events, resources, and statements to support our members, friends, families, and greater community. We also welcome and encourage allies to engage and share discussions. As the National Association of Asian American Professionals has stated: "We also recognize that the pain and loss that Asian Americans are experiencing is not isolated from the suffering of other communities of color. We must proactively work together towards finding justice for members of all communities, while coming together to act as a unified people."

Please continue to check back for updates, as we will update this page as more information and resources become available. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, but meant to steer our community towards some support in these difficult times.

MNAPABA Anti-AAPI Racism, Discrimination & Violence Outreach Working Group

The MNAPABA Anti-AAPI Racism, Discrimination & Violence Outreach Working Group was formed in 2021 after the murders in Georgia as a way for members to work together to create action, with many expressing interest in doing outreach to Minnesota's AAPI community in response to and in the wake of increased anti-AAPI racism, discrimination, and violence. The group is currently tackling a variety of issues: developing a bystander training for individuals who witness anti-Asian (and other) violence; and setting up a response plan when anti-Asian attacks happen. Our main goal is to encourage and support dialogue around the Asian American experience, as well as provide support to other minorities and disparate groups. We recognize that many of our local AAPI organizations are already doing this important work. Where we can collaborate and support these organizations, we would like to do so, including leveraging our expertise as lawyers. The need will drive our work.

As we are approaching one year after the murders in Georgia, and a different phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to reassess what our goals should be. If you have ideas on what the committee should focus on, want to get involved, or are curious about learning more, please reach out to Shirin Johnson (shirin333@gmail.com).

MNAPABA Anti-AAPI Racism, Discrimination & Violence Outreach Working Group Description

What

Who

How:

Potential outreach ideas could include:

Events

March 16 Remembrance Event: Lest We Forget | March 23, 2022, 5:00-7:00 pm EST

Join the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the AAPI Crime Victims & Education Fund, NAAAP-Atlanta, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, to pause and remember the lives of eight people lost, including six Asian women, in the Atlanta-area shootings one year ago. All proceeds will go towards the AAPI Crime Victims & Education Fund. For more information or to register, please click here.

Asian Women's Healing Circle | March 16, 2022, 6:00-7:30 pm

Join for a virtual event open to all Asian women (cis and trans), as well as non-binary folks, to share, feel, take in, listen, offer, heal, support, and remember the lives of Asian women who have been killed last year. For more information or to register, please click here.

Remembering Atlanta: One Year Later | March 15, 2022, 6:00-7:30 pm (Wilder Foundation)

Join for an in-person event at the Wilder Foundation in remembrance and solidarity to mark the one year of the Atlanta spa shootings that occurred in March 2021. Come for food and be in community to reflect the last year and the work that needs to be done to move forward. Masks are required. For more information or to register, please click here.

HACCEN Event: Hate Crimes & Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry | March 9, 2022, 12:00-1:00 pm EST

The Hate Crimes Community Engagement Working Group (HACCEN) is presenting a conversation about hate crimes motivated by bias against race, ethnicity, and/or ancestry. The agenda includes a welcome by Mayya Saab (Executive Director, Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization); a threat brief by Chris Donohue (Supervisory Special Agent, FBI New York); and a panel discussion with experts Ramona Carroll (Program Manager, Community Impact Unit, Fairfax County, Virginia), Rev. Carmen Hernandez (President, New York State Coalition of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and Chris Kwok (Board Member, Asian American Bar Association of New York). For more information or to register, please click here.

Confronting Hate: Strategies for Prevention, Accountability, and Justice with the U.S. Department of Justice | Oct. 25, 2021, 11:00 am-3:30 pm EST

The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is holding an important and timely convening about how we can all work together to address the scourge of hate-motivated violence and discrimination. This virtual conference will include discussions about the rise of hate activity, online hate, the recently released 2020 hate crime statistics, and the role of criminal, civil, and community responses to acts of hate. Speakers include Merrick Garland (Attorney General) and Kristen Clarke (Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights). Additional speakers will be announced closer to date. This conference is open to the public. For more information or to register, please click here.

Our People's Movement Assembly: Reimagining Safety as Asian Americans | Oct. 2, 2021, 12:00-4:00 pm (North Mississippi Regional Park)

Join for a conversation about reimagining public safety as Asian Americans. There will be discussions around Asian Americans' relationships with policing, the issues we face around keeping each other safe, and take an opportunity to reimagine what safe communities look like. There will also learn more about the opportunity in Minneapolis to vote for a new department for public safety. There will be art, food, and real conversations with community members building real systems of safety in our communities. For COVID-19 precautions, this is an outdoor event. For more information or to register, please click here.

This event is organized by the Asian Minnesotan Alliance for Justice, a coalition of Asian Minnesotan organizations fighting for solidarity and justice in Minnesota.

NAPABA Presents: Trauma Informed Interviewing Skills for Victims of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes and Incidents | Sept. 30, 2021, 4:00-5:00 pm EST

As reports of hate crimes and hate-fueled incidents against Asian Americans continue to rise, NAPABA and the AAPI legal community are being called upon to respond to victims and complainants. This program will teach critical skills such as how to recognize trauma, how to build trust with victims, and how to speak with hate crime victims, hate incident victims, and witnesses in a compassionate, sensitive, and culturally appropriate manner. This webinar will be led by experts in their fields: Katharine Manning, who advised the U.S. Justice Department on its most challenging victim issues; and Professor Sherry Wang, who teaches graduate courses in multicultural counseling, developmental counseling, etc. For more information or to register, please click here.

Asian Solidarity Circle | Series Begins June 12, 2021, 11:00 am-1:00 pm

The Asian MN Alliance for Justice (AMAJ) Combating Anti-Asian Racism Team will be kicking off an event series called Asian Solidarity Circle, beginning June 12. This kickoff session will take place at the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), with lots of available outdoor space (941 Lafond Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104). There will be food, networking, and small group discussions to hold space for courageous conversation, healing, reflecting, and building together about the Asian experience in Minnesota. The event is reserved for individuals who identify as Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander. For more information or to register, please click here.

#StopAsianHate: The Role of Media in the Rise of Anti-Asian Violence| May 26, 2021, 11:00 am-12:00 pm

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), the Thomson Reuters Asian Affinity Network (AAN) is hosting a panel discussion on the role of the media in shaping the public perception and narrative of Asian Americans, including the need for greater representation and inclusion of Asian Americans in the entertainment and media space, and how media organizations can help combat the rise in anti-Asian hate. 

Thomas Kim, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary and AAN-NY Executive Sponsor, will moderate the panel and Cristina Juvier, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, will deliver opening remarks. The panel will feature the following distinguished journalists and leaders in the media sector: Helen Zia (Author, Journalist, Activist), Daniel Mayeda (Associate Director, Documentary Film Legal Clinic at UCLA School of Law), and Krystal Hu (Reporter, Reuters). Please click here for more information or to register.

Resources

Minnesota Asian Safety Squad: Community patrols and individual escorts to guard vulnerable Asian Minnesotans against racist violence.

Minnesota Discrimination Hotline: Report discrimination against the Asian Minnesotan community (translation services available).

The Alliance for Asian American Justice: Newly formed initiative to coordinate and drive law firm pro bono resources for victims of anti-Asian hate.

Stop AAPI Hate: Tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Hollaback! Bystander Intervention Training: Free bystander intervention training sessions and workshops to respond to anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment. 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice: Dedicated to advancing civil and human rights for Asian Americans, with hate crime tracking and reporting (various languages available) and various other resources.

NextShark: Dedicated to giving visibility to Asian American news, including news relating to racism and hate crimes.

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Hate Crimes Resources: Pro bono legal resources and other tools to help local communities against hate-fueled attacks.