San Francisco, CA — Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and Chinese for Affirmative Action announced today that AT&T California has contributed $50,000 to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center. Launched on March 19, 2020 as a joint effort between A3PCON, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Department, the Center tracks and responds to incidents of COVID-19 related hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from across the country.
Since March 19, 2020, the coalition has reported nearly 2,600 incidents of discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Nearly half of the incidents reported (46%) occurred in California, pointing to an alarming level of hate against the AAPI community stemming from misinformation being spread about the pandemic. Incident reports can be filed at https://stopaapihate.org in English and 11 different Asian languages.
“We must stand up to racism to stop the ignorance and hatred against the AAPI community during a global pandemic. That is why the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center is so important. We’re grateful to AT&T for its generous contributions and the company’s commitment to ending discrimination and empowering our community,” said Rachelle Arizmendi, A3PCON, Board President/Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment, CEO
“AT&T’s company values are grounded in supporting our strong and diverse communities. When COVID-19 hit, and levels of social injustice against AAPIs increased, we knew we had to help. Stop AAPI Hate is bringing to light the ways in which Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders are victimized. We recognize how valuable this website is to illuminating discrimination so we can work together for a better tomorrow,” said Cammy Blackstone, AT&T California, Director of External Affairs
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Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition aimed at addressing anti-Asian American discrimination amid the pandemic, was founded by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department (AAS).
The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) is a coalition of more than forty community-based organizations that serve and represent the 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the greater Los Angeles area, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant, refugee, and other vulnerable populations.
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice.
SF State Asian American Studies (AAS) is the oldest and largest such academic program in the nation. Founded after the 1968-69 Black Student Union and Third World Liberation Front student strike, it maintains the strike’s values of student activism, social justice, and community self-determination.
