PAAIA Marks Fourth Annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate
Washington, DC – Today, the Public Affairs of Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) joins its Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) partners in commemorating the fourth annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate, led by anti-bullying nonprofit Act to Change. This year marks the third year PAAIA stands with Act to Change’s coalition.
“PAAIA is proud to once again commemorate the National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate and support the movement to end bullying and hate against our fellow AAPI community members. We know all too well the devastating toll discrimination and hate based on race, ethnicity, and national origin can take on a community,” said PAAIA Executive Director Leila Austin.
National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate is part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) and marks the birthday of Vincent Chin. In 1982, Chin was falsely blamed for the layoffs in the auto industry and was murdered in a hate crime. This year marks 40 years since this heinous act of hate, and we’re saddened to see history repeat itself in the form of COVID-19 fueled racism and bullying.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. The AAPI community has some of the highest rates of mental health issues, coupled with stigmas surrounding the topic. A recent Trevor Project study shows that 40% of AAPI LGBTQ youth have considered suicide in the last year. The increased wave of bullying since the beginning of the pandemic is compounded by cultural, religious, and linguistic barriers that can keep AAPI youth from seeking and receiving help.
Act To Change’s Asian American Bullying Survey Report shows that 80% of Asians have experienced bullying, in-person or online, in 2021. There have been nearly 11,000 cases of reported anti-Asian discrimination within the last year. Elderly members of the community have been slapped, punched, burned, and beaten on the streets. Two mass shootings in 2021 took the lives of 10 Asian Americans.
PAAIA publicly denounces all bullying and hate and stands in solidarity with Act to Change and more than 120 community partners to encourage the public to foster dialogue, share resources, and end bullying and hate.
