Many communities have experienced a disturbing wave of anti-Asian violence in recent weeks, including robberies, burglaries and assaults on older Asian Americans and AAPI individuals.
In San Francisco, 84-year-old Thai-American Vicha Ratanapakdee died of injuries after being pushed to the sidewalk. In San Jose, California, a 64-year-old Vietnamese American woman was robbed of $ 1,000 cash. In New York, Noel Quintana, 61 and a Filipino American, was cut in the face during a subway confrontation. And in Oakland, California, a 91-year-old man was pushed to the ground in a string of more than 20 robberies and assaults reported to the city’s Chinatown community leaders before the Moon New Year.
The incidents come more than a year after many Asian Americans began experiencing xenophobic-related racism fueled by xenophobia, as well as the repeated use by former President Trump of a racist description of the coronavirus. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, received more than 2,800 first-hand reports of anti-Asian hatred between March 19 and December 31, 2020.
The violence has already discouraged some parents from sending children back to school for personal learning, keeping the people of Asia and their allies informed.
Despite increasing calls for public awareness and action, many advocates say employers are not doing enough to support AAPI employees who may be affected by the news, or to acknowledge their own anti-Asian discrimination within the workplace.
To be sure, widespread discussions in the workplace of racial discrimination are relatively new, after decades where shying away from race, politics and religion at work was the norm. But as many people followed the movements of racial justice in the summer of 2020, employees expect their organizational leaders to talk about the issue.
“First and foremost, you need to have these conversations with your employees,” says consultant and author Kim Tran. “I don’t think enough people have conversations about what’s happening in real life and how it affects your ability to do your job.”
Furthermore, there is a responsibility for inclusive workplaces to acknowledge the recent spate of anti-Asian violence, and the racial trauma that employees are experiencing, adds Michelle Kim, CEO of Awaken for Diversity Training.
Tran and Kim spoke to CNBC Make It to offer tips to leaders and peers to better support their Asian American colleagues now.
Facing the trauma of anti-Asian violence
One reason why more people are not talking about the news, whether they are Asian Americans or not, may be due to the ongoing eradication of AAPI discrimination in the US, known as the model minority myth, which is driving economic progress likes some Asian Americans as a measure that AAPIs generally do not experience racism.
“Part of the myth is that we remain silent, that we are apolitical, that issues we experience are not valid or not linked to our race,” Kim said. “There is a constant investment in perpetuating this myth, and we need to ask the question of who benefits from it, because it is not us or other marginalized people.”
Whether related to perceived cultural norms or otherwise, some Asian Americans may have the need to go through the normal routines of their day, despite the many challenges of surviving a pandemic, and in addition increased violence directed at on people who like them and they look like families.
For Asian Americans who feel this way, Kim says, ‘I really hope people take the space and time they need to process what they feel, and not limit it to themselves.
“My wish for them is to be able to create space to grieve and process trauma,” she continues, “and do it in the community so that they are not alone – if they can reach out to people, even if they are collaborators. , friends, on social media or getting involved with grassroots organizations – be in community with other people who understand your pain. ‘
Tran adds that Asian Americans who are concerned about the news and how it affects them should first engage with themselves: “Sometimes there are days that I feel it can help me through the work I do because I work for equity. and racial justice. And sometimes I just want to have a little bit of space about it and take a day off. You have to be your own judge when it comes to things like that. “
If you practice workplaces to take time for yourself, such as mental health days or flexibility to extend deadlines or reschedule meetings, you can use them.
Taking time to prioritize your well-being can affect your job performance, you may want to discuss this with a manager. This can feel uncomfortable, which is why Tran suggests that you connect your needs to the obligations of your organization with values such as fairness and belonging.
“It’s something that explicitly creates diversity and inclusion – when there’s room for employees to say, ‘Hey, it’s lunar new year, and there’s an increase in anti-Asian violence, and I’m not doing well,’ ‘ says Tran. “Organizations need to be able to provide that space.”
What colleagues can do to support their AAPI peers
Non-Asian American friends and colleagues can show support by reporting to AAPI peers, showing that they are aware of the news, showing their concern for their well-being, and offering specific forms of assistance.
To ask someone an open question – “how do you feel?” or “is there anything I can do for you?” – can create an emotional burden for the recipient in their response.
Instead, as an employee, you can acknowledge that the news is disturbing, and then offer to take a meeting off their table, extend a deadline, or submit a project, Tran says. Let the person affected determine how they want to do their job, she adds, and at the same time be explicit in your offer of support based on what they need.
What leaders can do
The simplest thing managers and organizational leaders can do for their Asian American employees is to use their privilege to acknowledge the recent news of anti-Asian violence, and to make room for individuals affected to process, grieve and to heal.
Given the current crisis, Kim says: “I think this is an important space that people are currently longing for, a sense of community and seen, and not stressed because they feel traumatized or respond to the trauma we see unfolding. “
With this said, both Tran and Kim emphasize the need to turn to people who are knowledgeable about the experience of Asians in America – and the ongoing history of activism within the AAPI community – to facilitate a discussion in a productive way .
This may mean that you have to hire and bring in foreign resources.
‘When I talk to other leaders about diversity, equity and inclusion,’ says Kim, ‘what I notice is the vast majority do not know how to talk in a nuanced and complex way about issues surrounding Asians of America. There is such a lack of existing knowledge and practice around how we talk about this. “She adds that unless leaders were active in studying the history of and engaging in conversations about the Asian experience in America,” most people end up focusing on race as a very black-and-white issue. “
Tran adds that if you lead a workplace that rarely discusses racial discrimination, especially with regard to anti-Asian racism, to give advance notice that you hope to open a forum for discussion and also bring in the right resources. to facilitate it.
How workplaces can deal with anti-Asian discrimination
Workplaces can also use this time to examine how anti-Asian discrimination in the U.S., dating back to the 1800s, permeated the modern workforce, as in hiring (AAPIs are overrepresented in low-wage service), has paid inequalities (AAPIs) the highest income inequality of any racial or ethnic group) and promotion practices (white-collar AAPIs are the least likely demographics to be promoted to leadership).
Offers of a business – from paid and paid leave to health coverage and even office geography – can affect workers’ financial security outside the workplace, especially for marginalized individuals. ‘Things provided by the workplace are so closely related to our identity,’ says Kim, ‘it would be a serious misunderstanding if companies think they have no place or responsibility to conduct these conversations.
“Everything about marginalization can be discussed in the workplace because the workplace repeats the same patterns we see in the wider society,” she adds.
What everyone can do to be an ally
There are many ways to get involved in taking a stand against anti-Asian racism.
In response to recent incidents, Chinatown coalitions have formed foot patrols to assist elderly residents during outings. Organizers see it as a community response to violence and an alternative to increased policing, which some black and undocumented residents say would be unduly detrimental. A simple search on the internet can connect you to volunteering, Tran says.
In addition, Chinatown businesses nationwide have been hit excessively hard during the pandemic between fewer foot traffic and growing anti-Asian xenophobia. Supporting your local restaurants, supermarkets and other shops in Chinatown can help get rid of these ethnic enclaves and their residents, who are statistically more likely to live in poverty.
“Get involved, and if you can’t, send money,” Tran says. This list from New York magazine shares 45 ways to donate in support of Asian communities.
Asian American communities have a long history of racism targeting AAPIs as well as black, indigenous, LGBTQIA, immigrants, low-income and other marginalized communities. Kim suggests learning more about this history – this five-part PBS specialty is a great place to start – and supporting the ongoing work of advocacy groups, including Asian Americans Promoting Justice, AAPI Women Lead, Stop AAPI Hate and numerous others.
“I would love to see people get engaged over the long term, not just in this moment of crisis,” Kim says. ‘We see it all the time, even with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, people notice when there is a traumatic event, but after the news cycle is over, you have to keep asking: What are you going to do to continue your commitment to the fact? sit? anti-racist? ‘
“Anti-Asian violence in the US dates back to the 1800s,” Tran adds, “so it’s not new and it’s not going anywhere until we make big changes in the way we experience things like housing and economic precariousness. of us must be together in the fight for racial justice and fairness – that is the only way we will see things change and change. ‘
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