Many communities are witnessing a disturbing wave of anti-Asian violence in recent weeks, including robberies, assaults and assaults directed at elderly individuals in Latin America and the Pacific Islands (AAPI).
In San Francisco, 84-year-old Thai-American Vicha Ratanapakdee died of injuries after being pushed onto the sidewalk. In San Jose, California, a 64-year-old American Vietnamese woman was robbed for $ 1,000 in cash. In New York, Noel Quintana, who is 61 and is Filipino-American, was hit in the face during a confrontation on the subway. And in Oakland, California, a 91-year-old man was thrown to the ground in a series of more than 20 muggings and robberies reported to community leaders in Chinatown before the Lunar New Year.
The incidents come more than a year after many Asian Americans started experiencing Covid-related racism fueled by xenophobia, as well as former President Trump’s repeated use of a racist description of the coronavirus. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that documents and addresses 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 their children back to school to learn personally and has kept Asian-American residents and their allies on high alert.
However, despite growing calls for public awareness and action, many advocates say employers are not doing enough to provide support to AAPI employees who may be affected by the news, or to recognize their own anti-Asian discrimination at the workplace. job.
To be sure, generalized Discussions about racial discrimination in the workplace are relatively new, after decades when avoiding race, politics and religion at work was the norm. But, as many people saw the racial justice movements in the summer of 2020, employees expect their organizational leaders to talk about it.
“First of all, you absolutely must have these conversations with your employees,” says consultant and author Kim Tran. “I don’t think enough people are talking about what’s going on in real life and how it affects their ability to do their job.”
In addition, inclusive workplaces have a responsibility to recognize the recent wave of anti-Asian violence and racial trauma that employees may be experiencing, adds Michelle Kim, CEO of the diversity training provider, Awaken.
Tran and Kim spoke to CNBC Make It to offer tips for leaders and colleagues to better support their Asian American colleagues now.
Facing the trauma of anti-Asian violence
One reason more people are not talking about the news, whether they are Asian or not, may be due to the continued eradication of AAPI discrimination in the USA through what is known as the myth of the model minority, which holds back the economic advance of some Asian American individuals as a measure that AAPIs as a whole do not experience racism.
“Part of the myth is that we are quiet, we are apolitical, that the problems we are facing are not valid or are not linked to our race,” says Kim. “There is a continuous investment in defending this myth and we need to ask who benefits from it, because it is not us or other marginalized people.”
Whether related to perceived cultural norms, some Asian Americans may feel the need to control the normal routines of their day, despite the many challenges of living in a pandemic and, in addition to the increase in violence directed at people who resemble them and their families.
For Asian Americans who are feeling this way, Kim says, “I really hope people can use the space and time they need to process what they are feeling and not to minimize or invalidate it themselves.
“My wish for them is that they are able to create space for mourning and process trauma,” she continues, “and do this in the community so that they are not alone – if they can reach people, even if they are co-workers, friends, on social networks or getting involved with grassroots organizations – be in community with other people who understand your pain. “
Tran adds that Asian Americans concerned about the news and how it is impacting them should inform themselves first: “Sometimes there are days when I feel it can help me in the work I do, because I work with equality and racial justice. And sometimes I just want to have a space around and take a day off. You have to be your own judge when it comes to things like that. “
If your workplace has practices related to setting aside time for yourself, such as mental health days or the flexibility to extend deadlines or reorganize meetings, consider using these resources.
If you think that taking the time to prioritize your well-being can affect your job performance, talk to a manager. Doing so can be uncomfortable, so Tran suggests connecting your needs to your organization’s commitments with values like equity and belonging.
“This is something that explicitly creates diversity and inclusion – if there is room for employees to say, ‘Hey, it’s the lunar new year and there is an increase in anti-Asian violence and I’m not doing well,'” said Tran. “Organizations must be able to provide that space.”
What colleagues can do to support their AAPI peers
Non-American friends and colleagues of Asian origin can show support by checking with AAPI colleagues, showing that they are aware of the news, showing care for their well-being and offering specific forms of help.
Asking an open question to someone – “how are you feeling?” or “is there anything I can do for you?” – can create an emotional burden for the recipient in their response.
Instead, as a co-worker, you can recognize that the news is distressing and then offer to take a meeting off their plate, extend a deadline, or contribute to a project, says Tran. Let the affected person dictate how he wants to do his job, he adds, and at the same time be explicit in his offer of support based on what he needs.
What leaders can do
The simplest thing that 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 allow affected individuals to sue, suffer and heal.
Given the current crisis, Kim says, “I think it’s an important space that people want now, a sense of community and being seen, and not being harmed by feeling traumatized or reacting to the trauma we’re seeing unfold.”
With that said, Tran and Kim emphasize the need to draw on people with knowledge about the experience of being Asian in America – and the continuing history of activism within the AAPI community – to facilitate a productive discussion.
This may mean hiring and bringing in external resources.
“When speaking to other leaders of diversity, equality and inclusion,” says Kim, “what I am noticing is that a vast majority do not know how to talk about issues related to Asians in America in a complex and nuanced way. There is this lack of existing knowledge and practice on how we talk about it. “She adds that unless leaders have actively studied history and engaged in conversations about the Asian experience in America,” most people end up focusing on race as a very important issue. black and white “.
Tran adds that if you lead a workplace that rarely discusses racial discrimination, especially when it comes to anti-Asian racism, let them know in advance that you hope to open a forum for that discussion and also bring in the right resources to make it easier.
How workplaces can deal with anti-Asian discrimination
Workplaces can also use this time to examine how anti-Asian discrimination in the United States, which dates back to 1800, permeates the modern workforce, such as hiring (AAPIs are overrepresented in low-paid services), wage inequalities ( AAPIs have greater income inequality than any racial or ethnic group) and promotion practices (white-collar AAPIs are the demographic groups least likely to be promoted to leadership).
In fact, a company’s offerings – from paid and paid holidays, to health coverage and even the geographic location of the office – can affect the financial security of workers outside the workplace, especially for marginalized individuals. “The things provided by the workplace are so interconnected with our identities,” says Kim, “it would be a big misunderstanding if companies think they have no place or responsibility to have these conversations.
“Anything related to marginalization has a place to be discussed in the workplace, because the workplace repeats all the same patterns that we see in society in general,” she adds.
What everyone can do to be allies
There are many ways to get involved in a position against anti-Asian racism.
In response to recent incidents, Chinatown coalitions have formed foot patrols to assist elderly residents during their tours. Organizers see this as a community-led response to violence and an alternative to increased policing, which some say would disproportionately harm black and undocumented residents. A simple Internet search can connect you to voluntary efforts, says Tran.
In addition, Chinatown companies across the country were disproportionately hit during the pandemic between declining pedestrian traffic and increasing anti-Asian xenophobia. Supporting restaurants, supermarkets and other stores in your local Chinatown can help these ethnic enclaves and their residents, who are statistically more likely to live in poverty, to survive.
“Get involved and, if you can’t, send money,” says Tran. This list from New York magazine shares 45 ways to donate in support of Asian communities.
Asian-American communities have a long history of organizing to end racism towards AAPIs, as well as black, indigenous, LGBTQIA, immigrants, low-income communities and other marginalized communities. Kim suggests learning about this story – this five-part PBS special is a good place to start – and supporting the ongoing work of advocacy groups, including Asian American Advancing Justice, AAPI Women Lead, Stop AAPI Hate and countless others.
“I would love to see people engaged for a long time, not just in this time of crisis,” says Kim. “We see it all the time, even with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, people pay attention 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 be anti-racist? “
“Anti-Asian violence in the United States dates back to the 19th century,” adds Tran, “so this is not new and it is not going anywhere until we make big changes in how we experience things like housing and economic precariousness. all of us to fight for racial justice and equity together – that’s the only way to see things change and change. “
Output check:
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