After the tragic events in Atlanta in March, YMCA Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Global Innovation Debbie Ford reached out to her friend and colleague Fran Campbell. Fran thoughtfully shared the following with us and graciously allowed us to share her thoughts with our staff and members.
Read on for some words from Fran Campbell, president and CEO of the Asian Chamber of Commerce.
In just this past week, the issues of false rhetoric, violence and historical discrimination of AAPI for generations, has become a part of all the narratives. There have been numerous
AAPI (Asia American Pacific Islander) organizations, City & State leaders, Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and non-profits that have coordinated an unprecedented effort to show their solidarity – through social media, press conferences, published statements, townhalls, rallies and vigils.
The YMCA of Metro Denver’s sincere offer of service, support and solidarity is very heartfelt; we are all very grateful and appreciative.
There are a several other ways you support the AAPI community:
- Continue to add your voice to the conversation, wherever the conversation is.
- Educate yourself and your network about the tragic consequence of racial inequity and hate.
- Check in with your AAPI friends and colleagues (thank you for checking on me). Be aware of signs of trauma, anxiety and depression.
- Support Asian owned small businesses – restaurants, markets, hair & nail salons, dry cleaners, etc.
- Support AAPI advocacy programs such as #stopAsianhate, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Pacific Development Center, the Asian Chamber of Commerce.
- If you see a crime, report the crime. Many police departments have bias-motivated crime units.