How to stop the hate ๐ โโ๏ธ
Resources and thoughts on the latest anti-Asian hate crimes in the US & the Bystander effect
Hey there,ย
I am dedicating this weekโs weekly briefing to a very important topic that has gotten way too little attention over the past years: anti-Asian violence and hate crime.
๐ this gives a pretty good overview of the problem - thanks Enrique Rubio for sharing.
Why do I write about this?
Violence (verbal or physical) against people because of their heritage, origin, their political opinions, sexual orientation, their abilities or socio-economic status never ever has led to anything else than destruction and never to progress in the long-term.ย
The increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the US teaches us that the work is never over. If we ever want to see a truly diverse and inclusive society, we have to push forward to educate ourselves, to learn from each other, to chose gratitude over frustration and tolerance over premature judgment. However, it also means that we have to know how to protect a tolerant society and that means be intolerant towards hate crime, racism and other forms of discrimination.ย
"When we think about racial trauma, I think it isn't just what happened โ it's not just the overt violence that happened. It's also what happens in the moment when nobody comes to help you, and then it's also [what happens] afterwards, in terms of when you seek support and you're sharing to people that you trust and you're being told like 'it's not a big deal, get over it,' or maybe you're imagining it or it's not as bad as other people's experiences."
As an immigrant, I have experienced discrimination first hand and I promised that I will never look away when it happens to others and actively work to reduce discrimination.ย So this is me using this platform to remind us to not look away but to take action.
As a psychologist, I know how deadly the bystander effect can be. When you see injustice and you donโt speak up, you basically actively โallowโ and enable discrimination and you are reducing the chances for anyone else to act against it or call it out. Learn about the bystander effect and push yourself to speak up, even if itโs uncomfortable.
As a human, I understand how hard it is to stop what youโre doing and look beyond your comfort zone. Talk to your family members, talk to your kids, talk to your team members about discrimination, racism and learn together what it means to be inclusive. Be patient and open-minded. There are so many things many of us donโt understand or donโt yet know or comprehend. Ask questions, read and learn about scapegoating and other forms of verbal violence and discrimination. Learn about racism and hate crimes.
Build awareness so you can recognize discriminatory attitudes and behaviors in yourself and others. Reflect regularly on how inclusive you act, ask for feedback proactively and listen carefully to those that speak up in your team helping you realize where you can still improve.ย
What can you do to support?
๐ Speak up when you see injustice, donโt wait, if you โstand byโ and do nothing, this reduces the chances for anyone involved to act. Learn more about the bystander effect & hate speech on social media here. ย
๐ Learn about how to find the courage to speak up and act in those difficult moments.๐ Learn about the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention.
๐ Learn about scapegoating and other forms of discrimination
๐ Promote a counter-narrative of cooperation vs. division by amplifying all the collaboration that is going on currently to stop COVID-19 and how this has enabled us to have a vaccine quickly and some countries even be vaccinated to large degrees already.
๐ Educate yourself on the history of Asian minorities in America - here is a good place to start ๐
News from Bunch
This week weโre big on Clubhouse:
Find out all upcoming Clubhouse & Community sessions here. Yes weโre growing up, we have an event calendar now :)
Tips from the Bunch AI coach:
Check outย a tip on Correcting Non-Inclusive Language. Recognize and flag language that excludes people in your team by Robin Wright, Diversity Coach and Senior Social Equity Specialist at Design Impact:
Have a great week,
Darja