United We Stand – Virtual Event For AAPI Against Bullying And Hate
Monday, May 18th marks the second annual Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) National Day Against Bullying and Hate, led by AAPI anti-bullying nonprofit Act To Change. The organization will host UNITED WE STAND, a virtual event calling for the end of racism and xenophobia. AAPIs have long faced violence, hate, and bullying, and now the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked rising numbers of anti-Asian hate crimes. Advocates, celebrities, and elected officials will join the event to call for communities to stand together against violence, xenophobia, and racism.
AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate is observed during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and on May 18th, the birthday of Vincent Chin, who was murdered in an anti-Asian hate crime in 1982. This year would have been his 65th birthday. Nearly 200 organizations and more than a dozen cities across the country have partnered with Act To Change on this initiative. To view the full list of partners and more details, visit acttochange.org/dayagainstbullying.
UNITED WE STAND will be a virtual rally to mark the 2nd annual AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate and call for an end to racism and xenophobia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Celebrities, advocates, and leaders participating in UNITED WE STAND include:
- Maulik Pancholy, actor, author, and co-founder of Act to Change
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray
- Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06)
- Tan France, TV personality, Queer Eye
- John Cho, actor
- Lisa Ling, journalist
- Kal Penn, actor, comedian, and former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement
- Randall Park, producer, writer, and actor, Always Be My Maybe & Fresh Off the Boat
- Hudson Yang, actor, Fresh Off the Boat
- Padma Lakshmi, food expert, author, and TV host, Top Chef
- Helen Zia, author, and activist
- Philip Wang, Co-Founder, Wong Fu Productions
- Poorna Jagannathan, actor, Netflix’s Never Have I Ever
- Punam Patel, actor, Netflix’s SPECIAL
- Michelle Lee, editor in chief of Allure
- Celia Au, actor, Wu Assassins
- Lawrence Kao, actor, Wu Assassins
- Bing Chen, chairman of Gold House, general partner of AUM Group
- Jose Antonio Vargas, founder of Define American
- Kelly Hu, actor
Event Details:
When: Monday, May 18, 2020; 4pm – 5:30pm ET // 1pm – 2:30pm PT
Where: Live stream, please RSVP for details.
Actor, author, and Act To Change co-founder Maulik Pancholy said, “Our mission at Act To Change is to protect and empower youth within our diverse AAPI communities, including Asian American, Pacific Islander, Sikh, Muslim, LGBTQI, and immigrant youth. Act To Change puts together an annual national AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate to stand in solidarity and recommit to our movement. Sadly, COVID-19 has only exacerbated the xenophobia and racism that AAPI communities have always faced. It’s inspiring to see leaders and individuals from all over the country stand with us, honor the legacy of Vincent Chin, and pledge today and every day, to stand up against bullying and hate.”
Fast Facts:
- About 1 in 5 students report being bullied during the school year
- 50% of Asian American students report bias-based harassment
- Two-thirds of Sikh American students report being bullied
- Half of Muslim American students report being bullied due to their religion
- Founded in March in response to a rising surge of hate crimes, STOP AAPI HATE has received more than 1,900 reports of hate crimes
- Anti-Muslim, anti-Sikh, and anti-immigrant hate crimes have seen dramatic increases in the past 4 years
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Act To Change is a 501(c)3 organization working to end bullying, especially among Asian American and Pacific Islander youth.
