The Asian American Foundation’s Post

Launched in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence, TAAF is dedicated to building a safer, more inclusive future for AAPIs everywhere. Now in our third year, TAAF has accelerated the pace of progress to build safety and belonging for AAPIs. But we didn't do it alone; we worked closely with our partners to pursue immediate and long-term solutions to protect and support our communities to fight anti-AAPI hate, advocate for AAPI history as part of inclusive education, uplift creatives and storytellers in front of and behind the camera, and create spaces where our voices didn’t originally exist. And we're just getting started. To take a look at our full impact, visit share.taaf.org/EOY23.

TIME Magazine has just released their most anticipated books of the fall—and our favorite Asian and Asian American authors are in. Swipe to take a look at what you should be adding to your reading list.

To celebrate Women's Equality Day, we wanted to highlight a few influential AANHPI women who dedicated their lives to fighting for equal rights. Swipe to learn more now.

Since 2000, Chhaya CDC has served the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean community in New York City. As part of the TAAF NYC Anti-Hate Collaborative, Chhaya provides direct services that meet critical needs within the community, as well as tools and opportunities that allow individuals to shape their own futures and be resilient in the face of challenges.

Today, we released findings from our new study Roots of Racism: Examining the Conditions for Anti-Asian Hate During COVID-19. Funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the study explores the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents during the pandemic. We found that such incidents are closely related to local economic conditions and unequal health outcomes. The study also shed light on the discrepancies in incident reporting between law enforcement and news media. “These findings clearly show that there’s work to be done when it comes to both tracking and reporting anti-Asian hate incidents and addressing the factors that contribute to incidents in the first place,” said Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF. “By addressing the disparities that Asian American and other marginalized groups face, we can create a more inclusive society that is rooted in empathy and understanding, and ultimately weed out the causes of bias, discrimination, and violence toward our community.” To see more findings, visit rootsofracism.taaf.org now.

According to our 2024 STAATUS Index, Americans are unfamiliar with and are unable to name key events in Asian American history. This is yet another explanation for why hate persists: Americans continue to hold limited views of Asian Americans’ history. Visit share.taaf.org/STAATUS2024 to learn more.

We’re so honored to have partnered with United Talent Agency and The Very Asian Foundation to host Celebrating AAJA: An Iconic Gathering of AAPI Journalists at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Convention last weekend! Congratulations to Lori Matsukawa, David Louie, and Linda Yu, who were this year’s recipients of the Very Asian Foundation Icon Award, created to honor those who have laid the foundation for AAPIs to succeed in broadcast journalism.   We were grateful to have an opportunity to celebrate these legendary storytellers as well as the many other journalists in attendance who help lift up the stories of our community—shining a light on our struggles and celebrating our triumphs. We can’t wait to be with you again next year in Seattle!

According to The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health's recent study, suicide has become the leading cause of death among AANHPI youth, with rates doubling over the past two decades. And while Asian American high schoolers have comparable suicide attempts and rates of depression compared to their white youth counterparts, they have the lowest rates of mental health utilization across all ethnic groups. There is a clear need for further analysis of our community's mental health. Later this year, TAAF will be launching a first-of-its-kind national study on mental health in AANHPI youth. We hope to understand factors that impact the mental health of AANHPI youth and identify effective solutions.

From deeply personal coming-of-age stories to sweeping poem collections, we're sharing some of our must-reads from South Asian authors. What are you putting on your TBR list? 📚

Charles B. Wang Community Health Center has been a pioneer in serving the mental health needs of the Asian American community since 1997. As a TAAF Anti-Hate City Partner, CBWCHC provides high quality and affordable health care to all, building on their heritage of success in caring for underserved Asian Americans in New York.