As our community reflects on a year of COVID-19, we also reflect on a year of increased violence against members of our Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
In light of the killings of six Asian women in Atlanta, GA in March, as well as many other acts of violence, TPT is sharing community resources that provide information on how to report hate crimes, violence and discrimination in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Additionally, TPT is providing resources and programming from TPT, PBS and Next Avenue that address and contextualize the history of racism against Asian Americans, as well as stories of resilience, artistry and the uniqueness of the myriad of cultures that make up America’s Asian communities.
If you or someone you know is a victim of or a witness to discrimination and/or a hate crime, the following resources are available:
Additional resources and programming from TPT, PBS and Next Avenue:
Sia Her (Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans) on increased violence against the community.
What You Can Do to Fight Violence and Racism Against Asian Americans
As Asian American communities reel from an uptick in violence and hate spurred by racist rhetoric about the coronavirus pandemic, advocates are urging Americans to be allies in actionable ways that go beyond words. READ MORE
What Could Reduce Rising Hate Crimes Against Asian American Elders
The numbers are soaring, and activists offer ideas to protect Asian American Elders. READ MORE
In The Cut: Being Asian American During This Pandemic
“In the Cut: Being Asian American During this Pandemic, A Word Find Puzzle” by Sun Yung Shin. Originally published by Pollen Midwest.
Asian Americans
Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that chronicle the contributions and challenges of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing ethnic group in America. Personal histories and new academic research cast a fresh lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans have played in it.
Armed with Language
Minnesota was home to a little-known military intelligence school during WWII that trained Japanese Americans be to translators. Primarily recruited from concentration camps on the West Coast, these men and women, served while many of their families remained imprisoned. For their efforts it is said that they “shortened the Pacific War by two years and saved possibly a million American lives.”
Armed with Language premieres on Monday, May 17. Check back to watch online. Get the screening toolkit and find additional resources here.
Learn More:
Council of Asian American Minnesotans
The Council works toward economic, social, legal, and political equality for Minnesotans of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) heritage.
The Coalition of Asian American Leaders
The Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) envisions a State where all Minnesotans, regardless of background, are actively engaged in shaping solutions, and can achieve prosperity.
Japanese American Citizens League
The TCJACL Education Committee offers a variety of services and resources useful for learning about Japanese American history.
Densho
To preserve and share history of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans to promote equity and justice today.
Find additional resources here.
Additional Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Content:
ART IS… Kao Kalia Yang
Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong-American writer. She is the author of multiple titles including, “The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir,” “The Song Poet,” and “Somewhere in the Unknown World.” Yang has also authored children’s books including “A Map Into the World.”
ART IS… Kevin Yang
Kevin Yang is a Hmong American multidisciplinary artist from the Twin Cities. Kevin creates primarily in the mediums of spoken word, filmmaking, and theater. He finds most of his inspiration unraveling his experience as a Hmong soul born in the United States.
Sun Mee Chomet
Theater artist and Korean adoptee Sun Mee Chomet explores identity, both onstage and off.
Close The Gap: Telling Our Stories
Noted St. Paul Hip-Hop and spoken word artist Tou Saiko Lee offers a look at how youth of color can challenge disparities through creative expression.
Ananya Dance Theater
Ananya Chatterjea finds femininity and power entrenched in a classical Indian style of dance called Odissi. As a nationally recognized choreographer, she reinterprets traditional movements into contemporary dance for the Ananya Dance Theatre and the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Minnesota.
Wing Young Huie
Wing Young Huie’s University Ave project boasts six miles of photographs that are hung in storefronts along the avenue.
Ed Bok Lee
Ed Bok Lee’s poem “Ode to Bruce Lee” is more than just a tribute to the martial artist and cultural icon. It speaks to the ability of art to create hope which in turn manifests itself as something thats never been seen or heard or possibly even thought of before.
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