19 May Commemorating the First-Ever AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate



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POSTED MAY 18, 2019
Commemorating the First-Ever AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate
Cities, elected officials, and advocacy groups rally around a day to fight hate in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and honor the legacy of Vincent Chin
Today — May 18, 2019 — marks the first-ever Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Day Against Bullying and Hate. This day is led by Act To Change, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending bullying in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. May 18 is also the birthday of Vincent Chin, who was brutally murdered in 1982, catalyzing a national Asian American movement. Cities and other municipalities across the country have officially declared this day. Act To Change is also partnering with elected officials, influencers, and other nonprofit organizations to spread the word and reaffirm a commitment to standing up to hate and bullying.
“We’re seeing an increasingly anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and xenophobic political climate, and kids are facing hate both in and outside the classroom,” says Act To Change Chairman and Co-Founder Maulik Pancholy. “That’s why this inaugural AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate is so important in highlighting the urgency to act to change this.”
Half of Asian American students, half of Muslim American students, and two-thirds of Sikh American students report being bullied. And in one report, over two-thirds of Chinese-Vietnamese, Laotian, Iu-Mien, and Indian American youth said they had been bullied at school. Additionally, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups is at an all-time high, and the death toll tied to the radical right has increased.
Supporters of AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate include:
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
- Boston City Council
- City of Hoboken, New Jersey
- City of Miami, Florida
- City of Seattle, Washington
- City of San Francisco, California
- City of Torrance, California
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Congressman Frank Pallone
- County of Burlington, New Jersey
- County of Passaic, New Jersey
- Georgia State Representative Sam Park
- Governor Phil Murphy
- Japanese American Citizens League
- Los Angeles City Council
- Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
- National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
- New York City Council Members Margaret Chin and Peter Koo
- OCA — Asian Pacific American Advocates
- Senator Bob Menendez
- Sikh American Legal Defense & Education Fund
- Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
- State of New Jersey Senate and General Assembly
To join the conversation on social media, use #DayAgainstBullying and #ActToChange. Through its website ActToChange.org, Act To Change offers anti-bullying and anti-hate resources including in multiple Asian languages.
Pancholy states, “This day is part of a larger movement of uplifting communities across the country, promoting a culture of tolerance and safety, and celebrating our differences.”
Questions? Contact info@acttochange.org.
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