Dear Arts Education Community,

Violence is being done in New York City and around the country to our Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander neighbors, from children to adults to elders. We recognize that these acts stem from our systems of white supremacy, which is embedded in our country’s founding. The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is compelled to speak out on behalf of all these innocent victims.  

The Roundtable stands for equity in learning and creative expression, and for the right of all our artists and organizations to thrive. As artists and educators we condemn the senseless harm of anti-Asian violence and harassment, and the misinformation motivating recent attacks.  

All of us need to stand together for healing and to act against repression. We urge artists and educators to speak up against anti-Asian attacks.  For those looking to learn more, better understand how to be an ally, and help the AAPI community fight Anti-Asian Racism, we offer the following resources:

Information & Additional Reading

• How millennial Nobel Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen’s viral video sparked coverage of anti-Asian racism (CNBC)
• The Same Hate That Targeted Muslims Is Turning on Asian Americans Now (Daily Beast) 
• How American Mythologies Fuel Anti-Asian Violence (Yale Insights)
• Addressing Anti-Asian Attacks With Transformative Justice (Yes Magazine) 
• Opinion | We Need to Put a Name to This Violence (NY Times)
• Are We Allies? Black Americans vs Asian Americans | Middle Ground (Jubilee via YouTube)
• PBS Asian Americans Documentary Series (PBS)

Toolkits & Allyship Resources

• Asian American Federation’s Anti-Hate Safety Resources: https://www.aafederation.org/aaf-safety-resources/
• NYC Commission on Human Rights: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/community/stop-asian-hate.page
• The Guide to Allyship: https://guidetoallyship.com/ 
• Bystander Training: https://www.ihollaback.org 
• Bystander Training: https://www.caeny.org/

If you’re able, please join us in learning from and donating to the following organizations who are working towards racial justice:

• Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ 
• AAPI Women Lead: https://www.imreadymovement.org/
• Red Canary Song: https://www.redcanarysong.net/
• Asian Americans for Equality: https://www.aafe.org/ 

Thank you to the Roundtable’s Non-Black POC Affinity Group who helped gather many of these resources.  The Roundtable will be holding space for communal care and support for AAPI arts educators and accomplices who desire to work towards systemic change. Registration information and event details will be shared next week. 

Sincerely,

Sobha Kavanakudiyil, Board Co-Chair
Jennifer DiBella, Board Co-Chair
Gary Padmore, Board Vice Chair
Ted Wiprud, Acting Board Treasurer & Chair Emeritus
Erika Atkins, Board Secretary
Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director
NYC Arts in Education Roundtable