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11 Ways Forward This Lunar New Year

January 23, 2023

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

At a time when many of us have prepared to welcome abundance and prosperity, many of our community are feeling heartbroken, waking to the horrific news of yet more mass shootings experienced within Asian American communities in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. Many in our communities are reeling from these events during Lunar New Year, at the height of a most celebrated time, particularly for Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese families. 

At AAPIP, our hearts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in these senseless acts of violence. Our communities are feeling the heavy cumulative weight of this tragedy while still healing from an endless series of assaults that have targeted our communities, which have spiked dramatically since the start of the pandemic due to increased xenophobia and anti-Asian scapegoating. This violence was preventable, and we call for philanthropic responses to support the victims and families while simultaneously doubling down on support for mental health care and gun control.

As we at AAPIP process yet another mass shooting, in regions where AAPIP has chapters, we honor the 11 lives that were lost in Monterey Park and 7 lost in Half Moon Bay this Lunar New Year by offering ways for you to balance the heaviness of this moment while finding hope and healing for yourself and our communities during this time.

  1. Attend to your personal needs, especially your emotional health. Here’s what the American Counseling Association recommends in terms of coping in the aftermath of a shooting.
  2. Attend a collective healing or community grief space (see Resources below).
  3. Connect with a friend or loved one whom you haven’t been in touch with recently. Tell them how much they mean to you.
  4. Organize and hold a space at work to process what you are experiencing individually and as a collective.
  5. Spark a conversation about how your institution is supporting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) communities in its grantmaking.
  6. Connect with your local AAPIP Chapter and advocate within your foundation to mobilize more resources to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
  7. Educate others about the history of and nuances of the AA & NH/PI experience.
  8. Learn about and share with others the examples of how communities of color have supported one another in times of crisis.
  9. Give time and talent by volunteering with an AA & NH/PI serving nonprofit.
  10. Support AA & NH/PI nonprofit communities through donations and mutual aid. Monterey Park Support Fund. Half Moon Bay Support Fund.
  11. Advocate for and support policies which protect our communities, including stricter gun laws. 77% of Asian Americans agree that we need stricter gun laws, per this study.

Resources:

This is not intended to be a comprehensive resource list and therefore will not always be the most up-to-date list of resources out there. We encourage you to continue monitoring the organizations and pages below for more information.