ADVANCING JUSTICE — AAJC AND RIGHT TO BE OFFER BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING IN ASIAN LANGUAGES
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[Washington, D.C.]—Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC (Advancing Justice — AAJC) and Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!) offer Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian and Asian American and Xenophobic Harassment trainings in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese in May during the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Families can attend these trainings together and learn effective strategies and tactics to safely intervene as bystanders when they witness anti-Asian hate and harassment.
“As we celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States during the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we recognize that our communities are still facing hate and harassment,” said Marita Etcubañez, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Advancing Justice — AAJC. “We will continue to advocate for better laws and policies and provide resources like our Bystander Intervention training to support impacted communities and individuals.”
According to a study conducted by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, 74% of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women reported experiencing racism and discrimination. Two years into the pandemic, Advancing Justice — AAJC continues to learn of attacks against Asian Americans through StandAgainstHatred.org — a website where impacted community members can report hate incidents anonymously. Members of the public are asking, “What can I do?” The Bystander Intervention Training answers that question. These 75-minute, interactive trainings teach individuals how to safely intervene when they witness anti-Asian harassment. The trainings are offered with simultaneous interpretation in Asian languages, so more people can access them.
“It is privilege and testimony to our collective commitment to the Asian American community that we are able to expand and offer these culturally competent, useful trainings in more Asian languages,” said Dax Valdes, Senior Trainer with Right To Be. "We always look for ways to make our sessions more accessible, so we can reach more community members who may be wondering what to do when they see someone else getting harassed, on public transportation or at the grocery store, for example. Offering these trainings in Asian languages is a crucial step in meeting communities where they are.”
Advancing Justice — AAJC and Right To Be launched their first free Bystander Intervention training to address anti-Asian hate in April 2020, and since then, they have reached more than 100,000 people. The training is not only in-demand, but also effective. According to Right To Be’s post-training evaluation, 98.8% of those trained reported that because of the training, they were able to recognize and intervene when harassment occurred. Of all people who reported witnessing harassment after completing the training, 75% reported intervening, a best practice in reducing trauma and de-escalating violence.
In addition to the Bystander Intervention training, Advancing Justice — AAJC also partners with Right To Be to offer two other trainings in the series — Bystander Intervention 2.0 — Conflict De-Escalation and How to Respond to Harassment for People Experiencing Anti-Asian/American Harassment. Register for one of the upcoming trainings:
- May 16 — Conflict De-Escalation training, 11am Hawaii / 12pm Alaska / 1pm Pacific / 2pm Mountain / 3pm Central / 4pm Eastern. Register here.
- May 24 — Bystander Intervention training with simultaneous interpretation in Korean and Vietnamese, 3pm Hawaii / 4pm Alaska / 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern. Register here.
- June 2 — How to Respond training, 7am Hawaii / 8am Alaska / 9am Pacific / 10am Mountain / 11am Central / 12pm Eastern. Register here.
- June 6 — Conflict De-Escalation training, 6am Hawaii / 7am Alaska / 8am Pacific / 9am Mountain/ 10am Central / 11am Eastern. Register here.
- June 14 — Bystander Intervention training with simultaneous interpretation in Tagalog, 3pm Hawaii / 4pm Alaska / 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern. Register here.
- June 29 — Bystander Intervention training with simultaneous interpretation in Hindi, 3pm Hawaii / 4pm Alaska / 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern. Register here.