May 04 2019

AAPA Statement Against Religious Hate Crimes

By Ming-Che Tu Announcements, Press Release, Statements

We are horrified and grief-stricken by the multiple tragedies that have taken place in the last two weeks. AAPA leadership was still processing and working on our words of solidarity in response to the Sri Lanka murders (Sunday, April 21, 2019) when the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue (Saturday, April 27, 2019) occurred in San Diego, CA.

As an organization we unequivocally condemn such acts of hate and violence and commit to supporting victims, families, and communities during these difficult times. For many individuals and communities religion and spirituality are fundamental components of psychological and community health. As such, we are especially concerned about the persistent onslaught of violence impacting ethnic, racial, and religious communities both within the U.S. and abroad. We urge our membership to remain vigilant in considering the impact of losing a sense of safety in one’s spiritual home. Whether in Christchurch or Louisiana, Oak Creek or Pittsburgh- these cowardly attacks are an affront to us all.

As an organization committed to advancing the mental health and well-being of Asian Americans, we are cognizant of the media’s highlighting of mental illness as a precipitant to some of the tragedies. We are intent on differentiating mental health from acts of hate and violence. Facts indicate that the vast majority of those living with mental health conditions do not commit acts of violence.

In the wake of recent tragedies, we advise that each of us remain mindful not to give in to divisiveness by stereotyping entire communities for the hateful actions of a few. We also advise you to acknowledge history and systems of oppression that implicitly or explicitly perpetuate such hate and violence. We need to stand together, united in combating hatred and denouncing acts of violence.

If you or your family are impacted by these events, we encourage you to make yourself a priority and make space for your personal self-care and that of your community. We also encourage you to consider reaching out to your family, friends, religious and spiritual institutions, mental health professionals, and local community and support groups.

For allies and supporters, we encourage you to reach out to folks within your network to allow space for sharing, venting, grieving, fear, and any other emotions that might arise. Make your allyship local and visible. Note that it is important to provide validation for those communities most impacted. At this critical time, we encourage continuing to build a sense of strength through love and community– all of which have been shown to support healing and mental health.

In Solidarity,

Executive Committee

Asian American Psychological Association

RESOURCES

Managing your Distress in the Wake of Mass Shooting

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting

Building Resilience to Manage Indirect Exposure to Terror

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/terror-exposure

How to talk to Children about difficult news

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/talking-to-children

HATE CRIME RESOURCES

American Psychological Association on the Psychology of Hate Crimes

https://www.apa.org/advocacy/interpersonal-violence/hate-crimes

Southern Poverty legal Center – Resources for Fighting Hate Groups and Teaching Tolerance

https://www.splcenter.org/teaching-tolerance

Southern Poverty legal Center -10 ways to fight hate – Community response

https://www.splcenter.org/20170814/ten-ways-fight-hate-community-response-guide

SRI LANKA RESOURCES

Sri Lanka Red Cross

https://slredcross.give.asia/campaign/support-the-victims-of-sri-lanka-bombings

Kind Hearted Lankans

https://www.kindheartedlankans.com

If you need assistance with locating a missing relative, please contact your local Red Cross office here and ask to speak to a case worker.

CHABAD POWAY DONATION SITE

https://www.chabadpoway.com/templates/fundraising/default_cdo/aid/4365672/jewish/Campaign.htm

Apr 29 2019

Love0

2019 Annual Convention: Call for Proposals

By Ming-Che Tu Announcements, Call for Proposals, Convention

MAKING WAVES AND BREAKING THROUGH THE BAMBOO CEILING: Reclaiming and Redefining Our Asian and Asian American Identities

This year’s theme building upon previous years’ themes of research, practice, and advocacy efforts with an increased focus on social justice advocacy and concrete actions to propel Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) mental health forward.

Often, culturally or via family norms, AANHPI are sent messages to keep our heads down, to conform, and to uphold the status quo. Dominant societal norms reinforce the bamboo ceiling by, restricting AANHPI achievements, and perpetuating the model minority stereotype that AANHPI individuals are studious, meek, and successful. These stereotypes are then used to keep us “visibly invisible” and minimize our experiences and needs. These dominant messages are also a divide and conquer strategy that encourages us to marginalize our own, thereby keeping the dominant power structures in place, maintaining the status quo, and preventing us from having our voices heard. Therefore, with this theme, we embrace and highlight our duty, joy, and responsibility to present our authentic selves and showcase our work in order to inspire change and promote equity.

“Making waves and breaking through the bamboo ceiling” is a call to spotlight our intersecting identities and values that enrich and strengthen our communities. We seek to transcend outdated social norms while retaining our true selves and honoring our elders, mentors, ancestors, and allies. We gather to share the wisdom, creativity, and expertise of our own intersectional AANHPI communities from across the globe.

There is not only one definition of what it means to be Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and/or Pacific Islander. It is time for us as a community to create and define these terms and use advocacy to link with our communities beyond academia and clinical practice settings. Let us focus on ways to see and uplift each other and ourselves as enough. Let’s break down the barriers that have muted and divided us, and share strategies and wisdom as we move boldly forward together.

Abstract Submission Instructions

Proposals are due May 24, 2019 at 11:59 PM PST

IMPORTANT – READ:

**Proposals that address the convention theme will be prioritized**

**Given our timeline, we are NOT able to extend the submission deadline this year**

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To submit an abstract, you must first create an account by registering on this page: (https://aapaconvention.dryfta.com/en/userlogin/register/login)

2. After registering, Dryfta (portal company) will email you a temporary password, which you will use to sign in to the system for the first time. You will be prompted to change your password.

3. After you are logged in, click on “Abstract Submissions” at the top of the page and follow the template to complete and submit your abstract proposal

2019 AAPA CONVENTION WEBSITE:

https://aapaconvention.dryfta.com/en/

Sep 09 2018

Love1

AAPA Response to APA Racism Video

By Ming-Che Tu Press Release, Statements

Friday, August 24, 2018

Dear APA and OEMA,

We, the Executive Committee of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), are writing in response to the recently released first web video titled “Racism in American” in a series on Race and Health (http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/diversity/default.aspx). It has come to our attention that there is a glaring omission of Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences of racism in the video. We are thankful that Dr. Jude Bergkamp, an AAPA member, was included in the video. However, AAPI experiences of racism were not explicitly discussed in this video, leaving us with images but remaining “voiceless.”

It is our understanding that APA requested feedback from AAPA members and had previously received critiques of the missing AAPI experiences and experts. Recommendations were made, yet unheeded, to include additional images and voices that reflected AAPI experiences of racism, including the targeting of Sikhs, deportation of Asian Americans, killing of Vincent Chin, exploitation of labor, and examples of hate crimes. We are especially disappointed to hear that APA received this feedback prior to the video’s release. However, it appears as though the feedback was not implemented.

We believe that the omission of Asian American experiences from this first video is fixable and request that APA and OEMA follow through with remedying this situation. Tiffany Townsend has been tireless and gracious in describing the process that led to the introductory video, we understand the information that has been provided about the process that led to the invisibility of our members and their experience, we respectfully request that APA acknowledge its omission and correct this error. We understand that Asian American psychologists and experiences will be included in subsequent videos. However, the omission of these experiences from this first video perpetuates the invisibility of AAPIs as a racialized group that experiences racism and the misnomer that AAPIs are “honorary whites” and perpetuates the “model minority” myth instead of recognizing us as a compilation of ethnic communities of color.

AAPA recognizes and applauds the value of this video effort. We do intend to share this resource with our membership but would be remiss in doing so without addressing the hurtful invisibility of AAPI experiences. As a group we have already endured decades of being “othered” or nonexistent in psychology research and efforts. Our community’s representation is especially important, particularly as South Asian, refugee, and undocumented AAPI’s are particularly targeted in the current political climate.

We remain committed to ongoing dialogue and constructive shared efforts.

Respectfully,

Executive Committee

Asian American Psychological Association