Stop Asian Hate
Project Restore Us was founded by four Asian women descended from immigrants and service workers. The astronomical rise in hate crimes on Asian-Americans strikes at the very core of our identities and communities.
The violent attack in Georgia that took the lives of eight people, majority Asian women, was racist and sexist: the murderer believed these victims’ lives disposable. He robbed them of their lives and dignity on the basis of their profession, gender, and Asian ethnicity. The casual equation of sex work with these Asian womens’ identities and their consequent disposability is a symptom of the white supremacy and misogyny that permeates our society.
There are acts of racism and misogyny that are more subtle and without an obvious perpetrator. At Project Restore Us, we believe that denying food is an act of violence, one that is persistent and wearying but rarely makes the headlines. Despite the “model minority myth,” many Asians are going hungry. Asian households in Chinatown have a poverty rate of 36%, well above the overall Boston rate of 22%.
We deliver culturally appropriate groceries to people who are much like the women who were killed last week. Many are women who are the primary providers for their families. They are also Women of Color, often elderly and long term victims of racism and neglect. Some are undocumented immigrant workers who provide essential services, but they are deemed undeserving of government benefits like food assistance or healthcare.
Our community partners, the Chinese Progressive Association, the Asian American Resource Workshop, and VietAID, fight for equity and justice for their communities. This means fighting for their basic human rights, including access to food and housing. It means fighting for their voting rights and labor rights and seeking justice when they are wronged. It means fighting against white supremacist notions of Asians as subhuman and unworthy of food, healthcare, or even dignity. Unworthy of life.
To stand against hate is to stand against the violence and indignities that our Asian communities have long experienced. We stand in solidarity with all communities that weather these daily forms of violence.
We will persist in our work against food insecurity and for the dignity of our community members, even after the media have moved onto the next major headline.
How to stop Asian hate and help our most vulnerable AAPI populations:
DONATE
Many elderly Asians are fearful to venture outside due to the recent targeted attacks. We provide home delivery of culturally-appropriate groceries to our most vulnerable Asian neighbors with the help of community organizations: Chinese Progressive Association, Asian American Resource Workshop, and VietAID. You can help feed your neighbors by donating: givebutter.com/restore
PATRONIZE
Eat at Asian-owned restaurants. While all restaurants have suffered during the pandemic, Chinatown restaurants were the first to take a hit in the first months of 2020 due to misconceptions and fears as the coronavirus first appeared in Massachusetts.REPORT
If you see something, say something. How to report a hate incident:
www.stopaapihate.org/actnow/
LEARN
Learn about the rich history of AAPIs in America with their contributions, their culture, and the racism they have faced and continue to face today. Not all Americans share the same kinds of oppression and violence. Not all Americans enjoy the same freedoms of power. Each victim of violence has their own history of trauma to tell.
www.pbs.org/ancestorsintheamericas/aahistorysites.html
www.studioatao.org
ACT
Ask your legislators to vote for the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act, which will:
Designate a Justice Department official to review COVID-19 Hate crimes for at least a year
Help state and local governments improve reporting of hate crimes
Provide hate crimes information to Asian American communities.
This act is not a solution for hate crimes, but it is a start.
Ask your legislators to extend the SNAP benefit increase and to include undocumented workers, who currently cannot receive unemployment nor SNAP benefits.
SNAP temporarily increases 15% from February 2021 through June 2021 via the Stimulus Bill, providing an additional $27/month per person. However, from 2018 Massachusetts had an increase in food insecurity of 59%, the largest rise seen in any other state. Many families still need to supplement food through pantries or organizations like Project Restore Us.
