Dear Brookline Community,
We are horrified by the March 2021 tragic attacks committed against Asian women in Georgia, leaving six of them dead. This was not an isolated attack and is reflective of the rampant anti-Asian violence and racism directed at the Asian American community. In a one-year span from 2020-2021, there have been more than 3,800 reported incidents of anti-Asian hate, sixty-seven of those reports were in Massachusetts. Brookline is not immune to this racism.
The Brookline Community Foundation joins other voices across the country and in philanthropy in speaking out and condemning anti-Asian xenophobia, racism, and violence. These attacks must stop.
BCF stands with the vibrant and diverse Asian American Pacific Islander community in Brookline. We know that condemning anti-Asian violence requires more than words, and we are committed to providing funding to combat anti-Asian racism, violence, exclusion, and bullying in Brookline.
If you want to learn more about how to act in solidarity with the AAPI community, the history of anti-Asian sentiment in our country, or how AAPI community members have enriched the American Story for more than two hundred years, here are a few other places to engage…
Read
- The joint letter from the Public Schools of Brookline and the Brookline Asian American Family Network Steering Committee.
- Ashley Eng’s opinion/letter in the TAB on anti-Asian violence and discrimination.
- The Boston Globe’s piece, “There is no antiracist movement without fighting anti-Asian discrimination”.
- Author Cathy Park Hong discusses why this wave of anti-Asian violence feels different in the Atlantic.
Watch
- Last spring’s Town of Brookline forum,“Supporting our Asian Community”.
- Heritage IRL, a web series engaging Asian American heritage “in real life,” in progress, across a range of media and communities presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
- The forum about rising anti-Asian American hate hosted by the Norfolk County District Attorney focusing on the Wellesley-Dover-Needham Brookline area.
Support
- Local AAPI owned businesses and restaurants!
- Organizations working to combat anti-Asian racism and violence like Dear Asian Youth, Asian Mental Health Collective, and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
- Be an ally for Asian elders in public spaces and offer to help escort them to their destination, if you can.
Learn
- The Brookline Asian American Family Network’s webpage of resources.
- The long history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our country.
- The many ways Asian Americans have shaped our country.
The experiences of Asian American Pacific Islanders matter every day, everywhere.