Asian-American Students Demand Change, How To Support Your AAPI Colleagues

Apr 8, 2021, 6:35 PM

(From The Chronicle of Higher Education) At Vanderbilt University, for example, students have demanded that the administration lead discussions about anti-Asian bias on campus; create Asian American-studies courses and programs; and start and staff an inter-Asian center that would run community events for Asian-identifying students. At Duke University, students compiled a timeline of racist and homophobic incidents on campus that have impacted students of Asian descent. "So long as Asian American students face discrimination, administrators have a continued responsibility to provide supportive services, even when student numbers aren’t a concern," said Sharon S. Lee, Ed.D. online program manager for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

(From Harvard Business Review) New data has revealed over the past year, the number of anti-Asian hate incidents is greater than previously reported. And a disproportionate number of attacks (35%) occurred at businesses, according to Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic. Harvard Business Review journalist Shalene Gupta offers some key practices employers can take to show to compassion and support for Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community:

Acknowledge anti-Asian racism. "Don’t stay silent, dilute the message, or hide behind the diversity office," says Gupta.
Check in and offer specific forms of support.
Create a voluntary space for a discussion.
Think about how to make long-term changes to eradicate systemic biases.