(Latest update June 18, 2020)
The death of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers has the nation in the midst of a serious re-examination of the racism that shapes our social structures.
Many of us have been seeing numerous stories, articles and resources providing white people with strategies and steps they can take to combat racism. While these outline concrete steps white people can take, they don't always translate easily for Asian Americans.
Now, the revelation that one of the (former) police officers involved is a Hmong American highlights the continuing struggle and complicated relationship between the black and Asian communities.
While we cannot claim to have definitive answers on how to best deal with these struggles, we CAN provide you with links to some thoughtful information and resources that may help members of the Asian American community as each of us embarks on our own journey to wrestle with the complicated issue of racism and what we, as individuals, can do to support Black America and all marginalized communities.
This list is NOT comprehensive. Rather it contains resources that have been brought to our attention through various means. We can and will continue to update this with new resources as we learn of them. And if you know of any links that could be useful to our readers, please let us know. We believe in engaging people in this important conversation and appreciate your contributions to furthering the discussion.
Asian Americans on PBS - for an excellent look at Asian American history & how we fit into the racial landscape
Published in January 2016, 6 Ways Asian Americans Can Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families provides concrete strategies still relevant today
Published after the death of Ahmaud Arbery in early May 2020, 20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now offers practical tips for showing solidarity with our black brothers and sisters
A powerful article from Vox on why Asian Americans need to talk about anti-blackness in our communities
A thoughtful and comprehensive news conference with leaders from AAPI leaders supporting the Black community, including elected officials and Minnesota representatives from the Hmong, Pacific Islander and South Asian communities.
An excellent article written for South Asians, but equally relevant and valuable to all of us - South Asians and Black Lives
A compelling article on why It's time for Asian Americans to unite in solidarity with black Americans
Fighting anti-Black racism often starts with difficult conversations within our families. This article provides a helpful look at how to have conversations that will actually change hearts, minds and behaviors.
We can ALL be part of the solution. Here are 75 ways AAPIs are speaking out for Black Lives
It's so important to talk about racism in our lives if we, as AAPIs, hope to understand the impact to other oppressed communities. Otherwise, we will always fall short as allies. The Racism We Never Discussed explores these missed conversations and what we can do now to understand.
We hope you'll visit these resources and the organizations linked on our News & Resources page to help inform your own journey. We will continue to update this list, so if you find helpful resources you'd like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments or share them on Facebook or Twitter.