Asian American Racism & Mental Health Resources
What’s Happening
The horrific mass shootings in Atlanta on Tues 3/16/21 resulted in the tragic deaths of eight people. Six were Asian women. We do not list their names here out of respect for the wishes of some of the victims.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, discrimination, verbal assaults, and physical violence against Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders have skyrocketed, disproportionately harming vulnerable members of our community including women, youth, and elders.
In response, individuals from a wide range of Asian backgrounds are coming together to speak up, mobilize, and fight back.
Our Response
Our Center is proud to join this movement with a focus on the area we know best: mental health. Racial trauma is real. It makes the world feel less safe and causes emotional and physical problems. Yet far too often, victims of racial trauma struggle in shame and silence, or even have their pain invalidated or minimized by well-intentioned friends and family who lack adequate education or tools.
We are here to help. The lists of resources can be overwhelming. Our Center’s mental health experts are evaluating and curating resources from around the web, carefully selecting those we feel provide high-quality, actionable support for mental health. Please read on for resources tailored toward students, parents, educators, mental health clinicians, and allies/the general public.
Our Center’s Resources
Racism Guide for Parents of Asian/Asian American Adolescents: Toolkit in 5 languages to help Asian families talk about racism with their kids.
Fact Sheet: COVID-19 and Racism: Understand the rise in COVID-related racism and what we can do about it. PDFs available in 5 languages.
Webinar: Talking to Teens about Anti-Asian Discrimination: Hear about our parent conversation toolkit. Learn the historical context and latest research regarding anti-Asian racism and mental health.
Commentary from the American Journal of Public Health: Learn about anti-Asian discrimination as a “secondary contagion” and the public health impacts on Asian Americans.
Fact Sheet: What I Wish My Teachers Understood About Me: Knowledge on Asian/Asian American racial & cultural identity
Let’s Talk! 2021 Professionals Conference for Educators and Clinicians: Register now to support Asian/Asian American students. For those in K-12, higher ed, and community members. Thursdays at 7 PM EST/4 PM PST through the month of April.
Webinar: What I Wish My Teachers Understood About Me: Students share their inner thoughts about Asian American identity
Our Center Research: All of our Center’s work is data-driven and evidence-informed. Learn more about our current and past research efforts
For Parents
Coronavirus Racism Infected My High School (NYTimes)
A Chinese-American teenager on what she and her friends are encountering during the pandemic
Children, Teens, and Anxiety - Ten easy ways parents can help (Psychology Today)
What are kids worried about, and how can parents best support them?
How parents can support kids through (and beyond) the latest wave of anti-Asian American violence (CNN)
Tips for both Asian and non-Asian parents
I’m Helping My Korean-American Daughter Embrace Her Identity to Counter Racism: (NYTimes)
A Korean American mother shares her journey of racial discovery and decision to embrace rather than minimize her immigrant identity
Self-Care Tips For Asian Americans Dealing With Racism Amid Coronavirus (Huff Post)
Therapists share the advice they give Asian American clients who are dealing with discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic
How to Talk to Kids About Racism Today (Chalk Academy)
Inclusive and bilingual resource on when and how to talk to kids about racism today
How We Talked About Racism With Our Very Young Kids (MGH Clay Center)
A Japanese American child psychiatrist at Mass General describes conversations with her 3- and 5-year-old sons about racism
Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism (PBS)
Authentic conversations between parents and children on race and racial justice
Experts answer your kids’ tough questions about race and racism (The Hechinger Report)
What to say when your child asks why police are mean to Black people, and other questions
For Students
This Is What No One Tells You About Being Asian In America In 2021 (HuffPost)
An Asian American therapist describes the challenge of discussing anti-Asian racism
Self-Care Tips For Asian Americans Dealing With Racism Amid Coronavirus (Huff Post)
Therapists share the advice they give Asian American clients who are dealing with discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic
Surviving Racism Amidst COVID-19 (Medium)
Specific tips and strategies from an Asian American therapist for those experiencing racial trauma
How to respond to microaggressions (NYTimes)
Strategies for responding to microaggressions, informed by research and clinical experience
How do I talk to Asian elders about anti-Asian racism and violence? (IG @asiansformentalhealth) Advice on how to talk to Asian elders, including translations in Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Cambodian #talk2asianelders
Tender, Loving Self-Care for Asian Americans (Psychology Today)
A guide for tending to the traumas of anti-Asian violence and racism
For Educators
Combating Anti-Asian Racism (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
Equipping educators with restorative justice techniques to upend discrimination and stereotype
Homeroom Anti-Bullying Workshop & The Racism is a Virus Toolkit (Act to Change)
Curricula for addressing bullying, racism, and xenophobia in the classroom
The Racism is a Virus Toolkit (Act to Change)
Collection of strategies, resources, and histories of and for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities
Asian American Stereotypes (Learning for Justice)
Lesson plan and toolkit for having discussions about Asian American identity
Learning Together During COVID-19 (Smithsonian)
Activities and videos for students from the Immigrant History Initiative
Know Your Classmates (Beyond Differences)
A school-based Social and Emotional Learning curriculum for middle schoolers to learn about identity, traditions, and culture as well as acceptance, inclusion, and respect for their classmates
Speaking Up Against Racism Around the Coronavirus (Learning for Justice)
Historical context and guide for for educators for tackling discussions about bias and stereotypes in the classroom
Responding to Hate and Bias at School (Learning for Justice)
Guide for educators before, during, and after a crisis
For Therapists
What is Racial Trauma (Mental Health America)
And where does it come from: individual and system racism?
How Well-Meaning Therapists Commit Racism (Psychology Today)
Examples of microaggessions by therapists
Uncovering the Trauma of Racism: New Tools for Clinicians (Psychology Today)
Diagnosing and treating racial trauma
How to Talk About Race With Your Therapy Clients (Psychology Today)
Tips and strategies for engaging with clients through a more culturally-informed lens
Ethnic and Racial Identity and the Therapeutic Alliance (Psychology Today) Learn why a racial match might not always be a good idea
Assessing Clinical Trauma (Laboratory for Culture and Mental Health Disparities, CMHD) Scales and measures used for clinical assessment of racial trauma
For Allies
Be an Ally: How to Help Fight Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia (Boston University)
Resources for allyship and for advancing racial equity discussions on campus amid the rise of anti-Asian violence
How to Raise an Anti-Racist Kid (NYTimes)
The books we read, the movies we watch, the friends we make, the doctors we visit, and the conversations we have at home all shape our children’s views of race
7 Ways to Check In With Your Asian American Friends Without Saying, "How Are You Doing?" (PopSugar)
Tips for how to be a better ally
This Is What No One Tells You About Being Asian In America In 2021 (Huff Post)
An Asian American therapist describes the challenge of discussing anti-Asian racism in the US
How to take action against anti-Asian racism at work and in your personal life (CNBC)
Advice on taking action, from acknowledging anti-Asian racism to offering support, reporting, and donating
Resources to Help Empower Asian and Pacific Islander Communities (onlinemswprograms.com)
Provides tips for being a better ally as well as resources sorted by specific AAPI ethnic groups and subjects of interest.
General Education/Resources
Coronavirus Racism Infected My High School (NYTimes)
A Chinese-American teenager on what she and her friends are encountering during the outbreak
Act to Change
A national organization focusing on addressing bullying and racism faced by the AAPI community
Racial Trauma Toolkit (BC Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture)
Toolkit for managing symptoms of racial trauma
The Dragon Kids Podcast: “Masked Kids” (NPR)
The Dragon Kids teach you Mandarin words pertaining to the Coronavirus and talk about the harassment Asian students are receiving
Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
The work and thinking of 15 grassroots organizations with Asian American bases living in the most precarious margins of power
Stand Against Hatred (Asian Americans Advancing Justice)
A multilingual story sharing and reporting site
Are Asian Americans White? Or People of Color? (Yes! Magazine)
Scholar-activists discuss the racialized complexities of being Asian American
Embrace Race
Resources, including webinars and action guides, that support kids through racialized violence
Organizations Fighting AAPI Hate
Stop AAPI Hate: Track and respond to hate, violence, harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
#HATEISAVIRUS: Mobilize and amplify to dismantle racism and hate.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC): Advancing civil and human rights for Asian Americans