Margaret Chin @ Hunter College and and Yung-Yi Diana Pan @ Brooklyn College wrote this opinion piece about the Model Minority Myth in Washington Post. The three main arguments they made are The model minority myth about Asian Americans obscures racism against Asian Americans The model minority myth about Asian Americans renders Asian Americans invisible to larger society The model minority myth about Asian Americans implies that Asian Americans don’t need anti-racist programs

CUNY Newswire article on AAPI events at CUNY during the Asian Heritage Month. Quote: “Highlights include a community speak-out against anti-Asian violence at the College of Staten Island; a John Jay College of Criminal Justice “Mindfulness Yoga” virtual event that intertwines yoga philosophy and the pursuit of social justice; and an interactive workshop by LaGuardia Community College on coping with the trauma and anxiety of AAPI hate. CUNY TV is also airing “Speak Out: The Rise of Asian American Hate,” a special edition of its in-depth “Asian American Life” news magazine program that will air on May 4.”

The Project DIVE (Diversity, Inclusion, & Valuing Equity) Committee at LaGuardia Community College is hosting a town hall meeting for students, faculty, and staff who are interested in sharing their experiences and thoughts about the recent rise of anti-Asian incidents in New York City. To participate in the event, register at https://bit.ly/aav-town-hall2. Title: Combating Anti-Asian Violence Town Hall 2 Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Time: 2:15pm-3:15pm Place: Zoom URL: https://bit.ly/aav-town-hall2 Description: During the second part of our Town Hall, we will continue the conversation about the history of anti-Asian racism and violence, how the model minority myth is inextricably tied …

Those who don’t know don’t know what they don’t know. Many Asian bilingual immigrants are unaware of vaccine eligibility and the lack of access to vaccine information is largely unreported. Quote “In New York City’s Chinatown, a city-run vaccination site with no signage or intake questions in Chinese. In California, non-English speakers handed COVID-19 vaccination cards without information on what they mean. In Pennsylvania, people who speak Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese unable to make vaccine appointments due to a lack of interpreters at hospital call centers.”

Our heart goes out to our community of South Asian descent, whose relatives and families in India are affected by the second wave of COVID-19. This heartbreaking video by BBC shows the current state of Delhi, where people have very limited access to proper medical treatment for COVID-19.

Anti-Asian hate crimes surged by 169 percent in 15 major cities in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2021 to the same time period in 2020. Quote: “Van C. Tran, a sociologist and associate professor at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, said crimes have increased across the board during the coronavirus pandemic, so the rise in attacks isn’t necessarily surprising.”

Over 2,000 parents, many from Queens, signed a letter asking the NYC DOE to include the Asian-American history into the K-12 school curriculum.

We have put together a list of AAPI community-based organizations in New York City. Please share info here if any organization is missing on the list.

The New York Time’s book selections to teach children how to resist hatred toward Asians.