Photo by Lee Choo.

Recent news has shown an alarming and disturbing escalation in the incidents of anti-Asian and anti-Pacific Islander bias and violence. According to the organization Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate – a national coalition launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to track incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States – more than 2,800 incidents of AAPI hate, including 126 incidents against elder individuals (60+) have been recorded since March 2020 alone.

To provide CSUN students, faculty and staff a place to collectively process, dialogue and support one another, the University Student Union – in collaboration with University Counseling Services, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Social Work Collective, Asian American Studies Pathways Project, and the Asian American Studies Department – recently hosted “Healing Space: Supporting AAPI Matadors.” The virtual event provided a safe forum for the Matador community to share their thoughts and feelings, with some expressing fear for their and their parents’ safety and a range of other emotions and concerns.

“The spike in hateful, unprovoked and inflammatory attacks – both physical and verbal – that we are witnessing against the Asian American community are contrary to the very core principles that we stand for as a university,” CSUN President Erika D. Beck said. “To our Asian American and Pacific Islander Matadors: We stand with you. We condemn these actions and recognize that they not only produce anxiety and worry, but also are a painful reminder of our country’s history of anti-Asian discrimination. We remain fervently and unequivocally dedicated to our values of diversity, equity and inclusion as well as your safety and well-being.”

The virtual event provided a wealth of resources, including information about CSUN’s AAPI student organizations, counseling services and wellness workshops, as well as resources on how to report an incident, bystander training and more.

“We understand the importance of acknowledging the impact of trauma on individual communities and this event was centered on Asian American Pacific Islanders; we continue to stand in solidarity with and lift our voices to address the struggles of all oppressed communities,” said Freddie Sánchez, Associate Director of Programs and Inclusion for the USU and one of the event moderators. “We are glad to provide a space in solidarity with our AAPI community to explore what’s going on in our hearts and heads, and encourage anyone who wants to talk further to reach out to University Counseling Services.”

RESOURCES FOR CSUN’S AAPI COMMUNITY
University Counseling Services
• 818-677-2366
Option 1: To schedule an appointment for same-day emergency
Option 3: 24/7 Crisis Line
• Wellness Workshops
• Groups

If you are looking for an organization to join:
• CSUN Filipino American Student Association @csunfasa
• CSUN Advocates Affinity Groups @csunapiadvocates
• CSUN Vietnamese Student Association @csunvsa
• CSUN Asian American and Pacific Islander Social Work Collective @csun.aapisw
• CSUN League of Asian and Pacific Islander Student Organization @csunlapis

OTHER COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Asian American Justice + Innovation Lab
· Provides anti-racism resources for Asian Americans
· Resources educating Asian Americans on AAPI history, black solidarity and anti-black racism
Asian Mental Health Collective
· To make mental health accessible, approachable, easily available to Asian American communities worldwide
Asian Mental Health Project
· Educates, empowers, advocates, destigmatizes mental health
· Weekly healing space
· Not a replacement for therapy
Community Responses:
· Love Our People, Heal Our Communities Rally in Oakland and San Francisco
· Los Angeles Black-Asian Solidarity March
· Oakland Chinatown Coalition
– Operates community safety programs
– Mutual aid campaigns
· CCED L.A
– Building grassroots power in L.A Chinatown
– Campaigning for affordable housing and expanding senior housing
– COVID relief work

If you are looking for ways to take action:
· Volunteer time and resources to organizations working toward community safety and providing COVID-19 Relief Check

Upcoming Training:
· Hollaback Bystander Intervention Training

Reporting Incidents
· LAvsHate.org
· Hateisavirus.org
· Stopaapihate.org
· Standagainsthatred.org

Students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors who believe they have been subject to a hate incident such as non-criminal harassment or bullying behavior by any other visitor, student, faculty, or staff member (to include but not be limited to threatening words and/or actions that may be based on political beliefs) may report the incident to CSUN Police Services here.

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