Newsroom

Updated resources for allyship and fighting anti-Asian discrimination

By ·
·

Members of employee resource group Asians@ prepared these educational and informational resources for allyship and fighting anti-Asian discrimination.

Members of employee resource group Asians@ prepared these educational and informational resources for allyship and fighting anti-Asian discrimination.

Last year, Airbnb published an allyship and anti-discrimination guide created by members of our employee resource group, Asians@. This guide has been updated to include resources for mental health and for managers to support their Asian and Pacific Islander team members.

Asians@: Allyship resources to stand with the Asian and Pacific Islander community

The following educational and informational resources for allyship and fighting anti-Asian discrimination was prepared by Airbnb employee resource group Asians@.

Background

There has been a growing number of anti-Asian hate crimes since the start of the pandemic, with Stop AAPI Hate receiving 10,905 reports of incidents between March 19, 2020 and December 31, 2021. This is believed to be just a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur. Over the past year, we lost Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Hyun Jung Grant, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, and Xiaojie Tan in the violent shootings in Atlanta, and have seen a horrific rise of anti-Asian violence directed at our elders. We denounce these violent acts happening to our community and would like to call on you to stand up against these injustices.

It’s important to note that hate crimes against our community are not new. The Asian and Pacific Islander community has been subject to anti-Asian xenophobia and racism well before COVID-19 (e.g. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese Internment camps, violence that led to the Filipino Farm Worker Movement, and more). And time and time again, when we’ve tried to raise our voices to speak up, we have been and continue to be silenced. Due to our white adjacency and the perpetuation of the model minority myth, our struggles have been and are often overlooked. We, too, are people of color who face injustices and discrimination, and we want to be seen and heard. 

We ask you to help elevate our voices and bring visibility to and justice for the Asian community. We’ve put together this resource guide to provide members of the Asian and Pacific Islander community, friends, and allies with ways to further understand, show your support, and stand up against anti-Asian racism in your communities. Download the Allyship guide here.

What we can do right now

1. Raise awareness, speak up, and condemn these attacks and anti-Asian racism

When the mainstream media does not give the Asian and Pacific Islander community enough coverage on these hate crimes, which has been the case this past year,  it further silences our struggles and perpetuates the misconception that we don’t face discrimination due to the color of our skin. Below is what you can do to elevate the Asian and Pacific Islander voice: 

2. Report instances of anti-Asian assault and crimes 

Report them at StopAAPIHate.org. 

3. Protect yourself in the face of discrimination or safely stand up for others as a bystander

Join webinars and training hosted by the Right To Be Bystander Intervention.

Police Brutality Center – If you or someone you know has been a victim of police brutality, the Police Brutality Center provides educational information and support for those people and families that are affected. They also are available to answer any questions and direct people to any services that may be needed

4. Learn about the history of Asian and Pacific Islander discrimination and other challenges we face 

5. Support, donate, and volunteer with organizations actively combating racism against the Asian and Pacific Islander community

Organizations to consider learning about and supporting: 

Atlanta-based community organizations 

  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta – the local Atlanta chapter of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice organized a fundraiser to help the victims and their families impacted by the violent acts that took place on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
  • Center for Pan Asian Services – a nonprofit located in Atlanta to promote self-sufficiency and equity for immigrants, refugees, and the underprivileged through comprehensive health and social services, capacity building, and advocacy.

National organizations and fundraisers

  • GoFundMe.org AAPI Community Fund – a fundraiser to support organizations that empower and uplift the Asian and Pacific Islander community, with initiatives such as increased community safety and support for those affected by violence. 
  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC – a national nonprofit organization that focuses on housing rights, immigration, civil rights, labor rights, and others for Asian Americans.
  • Stop AAPI Hate – aggregates and responds to incidents of hate and harassment against Asian American/Pacific Islanders. 
  • Hate Is A Virus – started as a grassroots movement to combat racism and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders fueled by COVID-19, Hate Is A Virus has evolved into a sustainable organization that addresses xenophobia and hate in the AAPI and BIPOC communities.
  • Act To Change – a national nonprofit organization working to address bullying, including in the Asian and Pacific Islander community. They published “The Racism is a Virus Toolkit” to support the community in combating racism. 
  • National Council of Asian Pacific Americans – a nonprofit organization that serves to represent the interests of the greater Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities through a coalition of 37 national Asian Pacific American organizations around the country.
  • AAPI Civic Engagement Fund – a non-profit, non-partisan fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy that believes that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders must be an integral part of strengthening America’s democracy, improving the quality of life for all, and creating vibrant multiracial communities.

6. Be active in your community, company, and/or organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space 

Join and support Asian and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as well as a greater alliance of Asian ERGs like the Asian Leaders Alliance (ALA) to combat racism together.

The Asian Leaders Alliance (ALA)  is a consortium of Asian ERG and civic leaders collaborating to spur positive, long-term, and inclusive community impact. They have put together the following resources to support other Asian ERG leaders/members in addressing anti-Asian xenophobia and racism:

Join the ALA community: Subscribe to ALA. Discuss with ALA on Slack. 

7. Help support mental healthcare for the Asian and Pacific Islander Community

Discrimination takes a toll on mental health. The following websites provide access to resources for the Asian and Pacific Islander community who are seeking culturally-sensitive mental healthcare. 

  • Live Another Day – Extensive information on mental health and substance use resources for People of Color. Their mission is equal access to life-saving resources. 
  • Detox Local – A resource that features abundant information including mental health and substance use resources specifically for the Asian and Pacific Islander community.
  • Asian American Federation – AAF’s goal is to make sure every Asian New Yorker who needs mental health care is able to receive it in a language they speak, from providers who understand Asian cultures. This directory is meant to help individuals and families find a provider to fit their needs, whether that means counseling, education, or the many ways that our communities seek mental well-being.
  • Asian Women For Health – Mental health information with focus on self-identified Asian women, including providing communities with critical access to free breast and cervical cancer workshops to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate health education with an emphasis on preventative care.
  • Asian Mental Health Collective – AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.

Many thanks to Jasmine Smith from Recovery Local for suggesting the addition of a mental health section in our guide.

About Asians@ Employee Resource Group: Asians@ Airbnb is an employee resource group (ERG) dedicated to elevating the Asian and Pacific Islander voice in the community, towards the wider mission of Airbnb to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. 
Read more about: Asians@, Work

About Airbnb 

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Every day, Hosts offer unique stays and one-of-a-kind activities that make it possible for guests to experience the world in a more authentic, connected way. Providing hosted travel and the ability to live anywhere on a global scale, Airbnb has become a noun and a verb and most traffic to our platform remains organic. We will continue to invest in innovations that expand the travel market and lead the way in turning travel into a way of life.

Download logo assets