Throughout the last year, the rise in anti-Asian attacks has been abhorrent. The recent displays of violence in Atlanta, Georgia, which saw six Asian women murdered at their workplace, and San Francisco, where two Asian elders were attacked on the street, sent fear into Asian communities across North America.
However, much of the Asian community has been living in fear since the COVID-19 pandemic began (and even before it.) Not just because of the virus, but the aftermath of racism and violence that followed.
The displays of violence—and murder—were shocking, but reflective of the overall xenophobia and anti-Asian rhetoric that has risen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And although headlines around the anti-Asian attacks were situated in the US, the same racism exists here in Canada. In fact, the Toronto Chapter of the Chinese Canadian National Council reports that British Columbia has had a higher per capita average of anti-Asian attacks than our US counterparts since the pandemic began.
So what can be done? We can choose to support and stand up for Asian-Canadian communities and initiatives.
In this list, you’ll find organizations you can help support in the fight against anti-Asian racism, as well as organizations that the Asian-Canadian community can lean on for support, from therapists to secure websites to reporting racially-motivated attacks.
Together, we can #StopAsianHate.
Project 1907
Project 1907 is an organization created and led by Asian women that aims to uplift Asian voices that are often underrepresented in mainstream social, political, and cultural conversations.
During the rise of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the volunteer-led initiative worked together with the Vancouver Asian Film Festival to create Elimin8Hate to collect data and get a better understanding and overall look at the treatment of Asian-Canadians over the last year.
Sign up for the Project 1907 newsletter to stay up to date with the organization’s latest news.
Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Partnering duo of Project 1907 to create Elimnat8 Hate, Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) is an annual film festival that celebrates and amplifies Asian talent, identity, and culture in filmmaking. Since debuting in 1977, VAFF has welcomed tens of thousands of film lovers to its yearly event.
You can support VAFF and its mission to make sure North American Asian actors and filmmakers have the resources and opportunities to shape mainstream culture in a powerful and positive way by donating here.
Elimin8 Hate
Created by the previously mentioned organizations, Elimnat8 Hate is an initiative that allows Asians throughout Canada to have a safe way to report racial attacks. Through data collection, it has been able to provide a better look at the injustice that Asian-Canadians have faced throughout the last year.
The organization hopes that by collecting and tracking data, they can work towards real change for Asians in Canadian communities. Donate here to help them continue their mission.
Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice
The Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice (CCNC-SJ) educates, engages, and advocates for equity and justice for all in Canada. Currently, the CCNC-SJ is focused on collecting and analyzing data and incident reports, advocacy through social media, and creating resources for Asian-Canadians online.
You can subscribe to their mailing list to stay up to date with their latest work. Additionally, you can buy a Stop The Spread of Racism Mask here.
ACT2EndRacism
ACT2EndRacism is a coalition of concerned citizens and community groups of Asian descent. It focuses on anti-racism activities and campaigns in light of the rise of racism throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers online resources available in English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, in addition to online webinars (the next one is on March 20, 2020, and focuses on talking to children about racism).
You can join the Act2EndRacism network here.
Butterfly
Last week’s attack on Asian women in Georgia spas was a display of violence and hate against one of the most vulnerable populations. Based in Toronto, Butterfly is a support network created by sex workers, social workers, legal and health professionals to provide support, education, and information to Asian and migrant sex workers.
To support Butterfly’s mission, you can donate here.
Fight Covid Racism
Fight Covid Racism is another collective initiative that aims to collect and track anti-Asian hate crimes across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its website states 957 reported incidents, including an incident timeline and map, and allows for Asian-Canadians to have a secure place to report Asian hate crimes. In addition to the data collection, Fight Covid Racism also has a podcast where award-winning broadcast journalist Calvin To speaks with Asian-Canadians about their experiences.
You can support Fight Covid Racism’s mission by donating here.
Asian Mental Health Collective
Asian Mental Health Collective hopes to advance and destigmatize the conversation around mental health in the Asian community. The website has a directory of Asian-Canadian Therapists if you or someone you know would like to speak with a professional. Additionally, a spreadsheet of mental health organizations across the country created by the Asian Mental Health Collective is available here.
If you’d like to support the work of the Asian Mental Health Collective, you can donate here. If you are an Asian-Canadian therapist and would like to add your name to the directory, you can fill out this form.
