Advancing Justice | AAJC Marks Inaugural AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate
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Washington, D.C. – Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC marks the inaugural AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Day Against Bullying and Hate. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and May 18 is the birthday of Vincent Chin, who was brutally murdered in a hate crime in 1982. His murder fueled a national Asian American activist movement. As the movement continues, we are seeing a staggering rise in bullying, discrimination, and hate crimes in an increasingly anti-immigrant and xenophobic climate.
John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, issues the following statement:
“Every day, kids of all ages suffer from being bullied in schools and online across the country. In the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, this problem is often compounded by cultural, religious, and linguistic barriers that can keep youth from seeking and receiving help. Certain AAPI groups – including South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Micronesian, LGBT, immigrant, and limited English proficient youth – are more likely to be the targets of bullying.
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Half of Asian American students report being bullied.
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Two-thirds of Sikh American students face bullying.
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Half of Muslim American students report being bullied because of their religion.
We join Act To Change, a national nonprofit dedicated to fighting bullying in the AAPI community, in sharing a vision of the world where all youth have the opportunity to grow up feeling proud and supported in the development of their identity and sharing of their stories. To find resources, go to ActToChange.org.
As an affiliation, Asian Americans Advancing Justice have the Stand Against Hatred website available at StandAgainstHatred.org to document hate and to educate about the environment of hate around the country. Individuals can report incidents in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. Individuals can also call to report at the number 1-844-9-NO-HATE.
Advancing Justice | AAJC remains committed to this important issue and encourages the public to foster dialogue, share resources, and learn more about what we can do to fight bullying and hate.”