The New York Association of Black Psychologists joins our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) family in grief, outrage, and demands for change in response to the traumatic occurrences of anti-AAPI racism our country has borne witness to in recent months.
Most recently, six women of AAPI descent – Hyun Jung Grant, Xiaojie Tan, Yong Ae Yue, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, and Daoyou Feng, were brutally murdered.
Even prior to this, AAPI individuals and businesses have suffered as the result of hatred and xenophobia amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These continued, varied, and increasing acts of racism are an outrage, and we demand that they, along with the institution of White supremacy, come to an immediate end.
NYABPsi unequivocally rejects and condemns White supremacy and the ways that it divides communities of color. We recognize the truth of our interconnectedness. The words of Fannie Lou Hamer – “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free”, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” ring loudly today. As people of African descent, we know all too well the pain and devastation of White supremacy. As psychologists, we understand the profound psychological impact these horrific events have on AAPI individuals, families, and communities locally and world-wide. We also know that healing and change happen when we join together in solidarity and community. For these reasons, we stand with our AAPI family.
To our AAPI family, we encourage you to take the time and space needed for healing, at the individual, family, and community levels. Engage in the many forms of support available to you, whether that be family, friends, religious communities, and/or mental health professionals. Know that you are not alone in your grief, sadness, and desire for a fair and equitable society. To others who stand in solidarity with the AAPI community, we encourage you to hold space for AAPI individuals with whom you are close, and reaffirm your commitment to challenging racism against AAPI individuals.
NYABPsi will continue to advocate for systemic change that uproots racism in all its forms. Our entire country must acknowledge the deep pain that racism inflicts on us all, recognize the many insidious forms it takes, and commit to education, programming, and legislature created for its total eradication. We extend our steadfast support to our AAPI family, and we stand with you as you advocate and work for change and the end of violence and racism against AAPI individuals and communities.
Anti-AAPI Racism Resources and Information
Anti-Racism Resources for the AAPI Community
Act to Change COVID-19 Resources To Fight Bullying And Hate
Anti-Asian Violence Resources Card
Hollaback Bystander Intervention Training
AAPI Mental Health Resources and Information:
Asian Mental Health Collective
New York Coalition for Asian American Mental Health
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
The Asian Mental Health Project
Donate to Support AAPI Communities