
Today, May 18, 2020, 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. 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 are rallying together today to call for communities to stand united against violence, xenophobia, and racism. The organization will also host a live virtual event, UNITED WE STAND, featuring a line-up of AAPI influencers, leaders, and allies.
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 anti-Asian 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
AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate is observed during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and on May 18, 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 and states across the country are joining in this day, including:
- Los Angeles
- New York City
- Chicago
- San Francisco
- Washington DC
- Boston
- Phoenix
- Seattle
- Dallas
- Houston
- Atlanta
- Jersey City
- Des Moines
- St. Louis County, Missouri
- Irvine, California
- Buena Park, California
- Burlington, New Jersey
- Torrance, California
- State of Illinois
- State of Delaware
- State of New Jersey
- The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice
- Japanese American Citizens League
- Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Teach For America
- Human Rights Campaign
- GLSEN
- GLAAD
- The Trevor Project
- Hispanic Federation
- League of United Latin American Citizens
To view the full list of partners and more details, visit acttochange.org/dayagainstbullying.
To join the conversation on social media, use #DayAgainstBullying and #ActToChange. Through its website ActToChange.org, Act To Change offers anti-bullying and anti-hate resources including in multiple Asian languages.