Members of the Asian Pacific State Employees Association (APSEA) should know that you are not alone and that APSEA and your APSEA Board are here to support you. The recent surge in attacks and crimes committed against Asians and Asian American Pacific Islanders are terrible tragedies.
As civil servants, we work hard each and every day to serve the public while also navigating the challenges of raising children, caring for friends and relatives, and all the complexities that come with being a member of our local community. Everyone has a right to feel safe and comfortable within their neighborhood and their workplace.
APSEA has received a number of messages from community partners, such as the attached statement from the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus (APILC), in a collaborative effort to share information about current happenings, links to resources, and upcoming community events that may be of interest to APSEA members. We will be forwarding these messages and resources as we receive them, as well as posting them to this page.
We all have endured a stressful year and these latest developments will only add to the existing stress levels and mental fatigue. In case you were not aware, active State employees have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP provides variety of services covering a broad range of topics such as Career Assistance, Child and Elder Care, Financial Services, Telehealth, Tele Counseling, Traumatic Events, and more. You can learn more about EAP at www.eap.calhr.ca.gov. Please take care and best wishes to you and your loved ones.
Politico Podcast Addressing Asian Hate
A Statement from the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
March 17, 2021
Dear API staff and Community-
In light of the recent events that took place in Atlanta Georgia, the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus (APILC) stands in solidarity with you.
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, anti-Asian hate crimes have been escalating at alarming rates. Now, the shootings in Atlanta last night have brought the awareness of these incidents to new levels – deepening the fear, pain, anger in our community. Our condolences are with the victims and families’ and the need to support to local community. We are dedicated to ensuring our community has the right path forward with awareness, response and prevention.
Thank you for the work you do to support Californians during these trying times, and please remember to take care of yourself as well.
Sincerely,
Dr. Richard Pan
State Senator, 6th District
Chair, California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Evan Low
Assemblymember 28th AD
Vice-Chair, California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Stop Asian Hate Ralley
https://www.communityagainsthate.org/event/unity-against-hate-national-rally/
Actor Daniel Dae Kim Testimony on Discrimination Against Asian Americans
Resources That May be of Interest
Support Community Members – Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC)
· Main Website: https://www.asianmhc.org/
The AMHC believes in integrating our shared backgrounds with the progressive ideals of emotional well-being and mental health – expressing collectivist ideals while respecting the agency of the individual. It all begins with understanding. Through projects such as our Facebook group, resource library, video web-series, and meetup groups, we hope to not only provide mental health support, but also facilitate the difficult conversations we need to have to move forward together.
Report Anti Asian Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents – Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center
· Main Website: https://stopaapihate.org/
· To Report an Incident: https://stopaapihate.org/reportincident/
The Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
What happens after I report a hate incident? Do you share my information with law enforcement?
We do not share personal identifying information with law enforcement or any third party without expressed consent. We collect and analyze the data to understand what is happening in our communities. This in turn supports our advocacy efforts on local, regional, and national levels. We also connect some victims with resources.
What’s the difference between a hate crime and a hate incident?
A hate crime is a crime against a person or property motivated by bias against race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. A hate crime is narrowly defined as a crime for which you can be arrested and where racial bias was observed.
We use the term hate incidents because not all occurrences are legally defined as crimes. For example: someone yelling racist slurs, while wrong and hateful, is not a crime. Though an incident may not be a crime, it can still be traumatizing and damaging. The vast majority — about 90% — of the incidents that are reported to us are not hate crimes.