We are saddened and outraged by the rise in hate crimes targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Violence against the AAPI community within the United States is not new, but since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, racist comments and physical violence against people of Asian descent have increased sharply across the country. Although the news cycle has been focused on the senseless murders in Atlanta this past week, there have been numerous events in the past year. In January, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee was pushed to the ground and killed while walking in his neighborhood in San Francisco. The following month, a 52-year-old woman was violently shoved in Flushing, New York and suffered head trauma. Many of the violent crimes towards members of the AAPI community go unreported and do not make headlines. Stop AAPI Hate has reported around 4,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans, mostly against women, between March 2020 and February 2021. ISDP stands with the victims of these crimes and their families against anti-Asian violence and racism.
For ways to help the AAPI community and fight against anti-Asian racism, report hate crimes, and advance justice, please see the following resources below:
- Stop AAPI Hate: Together We Can Stop It
- Asian American Commission Community Action Guide: Responding to AAPI Hate Incidents
- National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice
ISDP Officers
Megan R. Gunnar, President
Tania L. Roth, President-Elect
Manon Ranger, Secretary
Kevin Bath, Treasurer
Rachel Barr, Immediate Past-President
Board Members:
Natalie Brito, New York University
Bridget Callaghan, University of California, Los Angeles
Jennifer Silvers, University of California, Los Angeles
Student Member Representatives
Joscelin Rocha Hidalgo, Georgetown University
Andrea Fields, Doctoral Student, Columbia University
Program Director
Peter Gerhardstein, Binghamton University-SUNY
Conference Coordinator
Julie Campbell, Psychology Department, Illinois State University
Representative of the International Perinatal Brain and Behavior Network (IPBBN)
Marion van den Heuvel, Tilburg University
Managing Director
Joan Oefner