FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 25, 2022
LOS ANGELES – Act To Change, a national nonprofit organization working to address bullying, is rallying the nation around the 4th Annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying + Hate on May 18th, in recognition of Vincent Chin’s birthday, a victim of a fatal hate crime 40 years ago.
Act To Change will bring together Asian and Pacific Islander American business leaders, activists, elected officials, and youth together at the Act To Change Community Reception at the historic Japanese American National Museum in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles. This Community Reception will take place on May 18th, 2022 from 6pm to 9pm.
Last year, Act To Change released their Asian American Bullying Report, in partnership with NextShark and Admerasia, to reveal new groundbreaking data on the bullying realities that Asian American youth are facing. This year, the work continues at the Community Reception, where individuals and organizations will be honored and recognized for their contributions and actions in working against bullying and hate.
Bullying Facts:
- About 1 in 5 students report being bullied during the school year
- Fifty percent of Asian American students report bias-based harassment
- Two-thirds of Sikh American students report being bullied
- Half of Muslim American students report being bullied due to their religion
- 1 in 4 Asian American youth has experienced COVID-19-related bullying
According to Stop AAPI Hate, from March 19, 2020 to December 31, 2021, a total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons were reported to Stop AAPI Hate. Of the hate incidents reflected in this report, 4,632 occurred in 2020 (42.5%) and 6,273 occurred in 2021 (57.5%).
While the statistics look grim, Act To Change also looks at the positive that has come out of the last year, and will use the Community Reception as an opportunity to meet and connect with others in celebration of not only the work as an anti-bullying organization for AAPI youth, but also the work of AAPI leaders and changemakers across the country.
The following individuals and organizations will be awarded and honored at the Community Reception:
- Sunny Vacher (Producer, Writer, and Mentor for Act to Change Youth Ambassador Program)
- Mina Fedor (Youth Activist, Founder, and Act to Change Youth Ambassador)
- Hate Is a Virus
- The Asian American Foundation
For those interested in Act to Change’s program on May 18th, they can tune in at 3pm PT // 6pm ET to watch the virtual program or purchase tickets to attend the Community Reception at 6pm PT in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.
